Burmese junta's slight opening to humanitarian aid

_{Sai Wansai
Tuesday, 20 May 2008}
 
In normal circumstances, one would assume or envision that helicopter rescue operations would be in full swing criss-crossing the length and breath of the devastated Irrawaddy delta areas, say after within 3 to 4 days of the cyclone catastrophe, like when the tsunami hit the Asian region in 2004.
 
But this is the Burmese military junta, the self-styled State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), which comes nowhere near to being a normal regime, has absolutely no understanding of what good governance, moral obligation, altruism and human security are all about.
 
In its successive reign of nearly five decades, under various guise, starting from Revolutionary Council, Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP), State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) to recent SPDC, the well-being of the people has never been high on the agenda, but rather the priority of regime's security and monopolisation of political power at all cost.
 
Its obsession of power and total control, combined with its implementation of four-cut strategy - to cut off their access to food, funds, intelligence, and recruits among the population -  to subdue the restless non-Burman ethnic resistance to its tyrannical rule have resulted in thousands of refugees fleeing to neighbouring countries and  a million or so internally displaced persons, mostly in eastern part of the country, where Shan, Karenni, Karen and Mon ethnic groups reside.
 
The military regime has denied the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi,  the rights to govern, even though it won the 1990 nationwide elections, the one and only of its kind, ironically headed and held by the junta.
 
Since then, all meaningful reconciliation process from the democratic and ethnic opposition camps have been shoved aside or disregarded, pushing its way through to consolidate its grip on power through 7 steps road map of which the latest militarys self-drawn constitutional referendum on the 10th May being the second last stage, to be followed by 2010 nation-wide election. To no one surprise, the draft constitution was approved with 92% yes vote, according to the junta.
 
Against this backdrop, the junta have been effectively barring foreign aid workers to reach the disaster areas to carry out mass relief operation by every means. The juntas PM Thein Sein even declared days ago that "We have already finished our first phase of emergency relief. We are going onto the second phase, the rebuilding stage", when in reality some 1.6 to 2.5 million people are in dire needs of shelter and food provisions.
 
While the junta clearly lacks expertise, logistics and political will to handle such a massive scale of devastation, it still rejected the US, UK, France and EU overtures to jump start the needed massive, humanitarian assistance operation.
 
In an almost remarkable shift from its rigid position of blocking foreign aid workers entering the cyclone hit delta areas, partly due to international outrage and perhaps taking cue from its Chinese mentor, which handles its recent earthquake disaster quite openly and effectively, the junta is starting to yield to international pressure.
 
 The Government of Myanmar arranged a helicopter tour of the affected areas and temporary relief settlements for diplomats, heads of UN Agencies on Sunday 17 May. ASEAN team members and UNDAC were also invited to participate.
 
 A U.N. official said John Holmes was flown in by helicopter to spend a few hours in the devastated delta area after flying in on Sunday night.
 
U.N.  Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon would be in Burma for a three-day visit, probably landing in Rangoon on Wednesday (21 May) evening and travel to the Irrawaddy delta, his spokeswoman said.
 
On Monday (19 May), the Burmese military junta agreed to an emergency regional meeting, in Singapore, to let its Southeast Asian neighbours co-ordinate foreign assistance for cyclone victims, where it decided to let its Southeast Asian neighbours help co-ordinate foreign relief assistance to allow more outside aid for the cyclone victims.
 
While U.N.  Secretary-Generals visit is a welcomed move, the Tuesday (20 May) Washington Post editorial warns, Mr. Ban should not accept the junta's unilateral decision to move on to a "reconstruction" phase. On the contrary, he should make clear that other nations insist on a "humanitarian relief" phase and that they will attend no conferences if they cannot conduct assessments, on site, of true needs.
 
The editorial further reminds He - U.N.  Secretary-General - should warn the regime that the United States and Europe cannot extend loans to individuals and organisations under sanction for their repressive behavior.
 
But how the U.N.  Secretary-General will tackle this delicate problem of human security need in the face of juntas mistrust on the West will be carefully watched and followed.
 
Nevertheless, the juntas change of heart, though grudgingly, should be cautiously welcomed. For with its track record of unpredictability, there is always a high possibility that it could reverse its positive attitude anytime at the slightest sign of losing total control over the population, which it has oppressed and ruled for almost five decades.
 
Hopefully, this positive trend of saving lives and welfare of the population will prevail and pave way for juntas soul-searching, leading to a more genuine reconciliation and democratisation process.
 
For now, let us give the junta the benefit of doubt, even though its hallmark has always been horrendous rights violation and oppression, the world have barely any other choice for the moment.
 
#Ends

_{The author is the General Secretary of the exiled Shan Democratic Union - Editor}