Htun Aung Gyaw
July 23, 2009
The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a meaningful offer to the Burmese military regime on July 22, 2009. Mrs. Clinton said, “"If she (Aung San Suu Kyi) were released, that would open up opportunities... for my country to expand our relationship with Burma, including investments in Burma”. Now the Burmese military regime has a chance to grab the opportunity that they are shouting for decades, lifting sanction from the west.
The regime accused Aung San Suu Kyi and her party National League for Democracy (NLD) for encouraging the West to impose sanction for their human rights violation to its own citizens that NLD denied for it. Now the ball is in the regime’s court. They have to decide whether they want sanction to continue or to end by releasing Aung San Suu Kyi.
Hillary hints that if they released her, the US will change its policy toward Burma. We have a chance to see Than Swe really want to lift sanction or not, it is his administration decision, not from the opposition party or democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.
It is wise to make a deal with the US rather collaborate with notorious North Korean regime which starved its own people to death and sealed its border. Many North Koreans trying to flee China and risk their lives to get into South Korean embassy. It is a reality today that pariah states never respect human lives. On the other hand, South Korea enjoys democratic system and rose up as one of the Asian Tigers because it collaborated with the US and embraced the West. South Korean made cars such as Hyundai, Dae Woo and KIA are now competing with the US and western auto makers proved that South Korea make a right decision with a right partner.
In addition, North Korean regime insulted Burma integrity by detonated a bomb at the Martyr Mausoleum in Rangoon and killed 17 South Korean diplomats and four Burmese officials in 1983. Is it wise to collaborate with a notorious regime or take an offer from the US? It is the decision that Than Shwe and his generals have to make.
One Burmese high ranking army official said, “We are using second hand Chinese jet fighters, we rather use American made jets”, another officer said, “Our uniforms are really bad, even we order to make our own uniforms, it is not good as ordinary US marine uniform. We refer to use US made arms and ammunition not Chinese made or Russian made.”
Many Burmese army officials do not like to be a close associate with North Koreans, Chinese and Russians. They want their kids to learn western education and have a good life. Many army officers want to quit from their job because they no longer feel right to work for the government. Some paid from 500,000 to one million kyat to resign from their positions. Most of them are not permitted to leave even though they want to become ordinary citizens. Army captains have a duty to recruit new soldiers every year. Each captain has to recruit at least two to three new soldiers ordered by the headquarters. If they could not find it, they have to pay for it to someone who can recruit for them.
Burma is going towards North Korean style isolation and if the generals realized that they are on the wrong path, it is time to change the course for the betterment of the people. If the generals do that, the Burma army will gain a trust and dignity from its own people and Burma will enjoy freedom and equality.
Htun Aung Gyaw was the first Chairman of ABSDF and currently the Chairman of Civil Society for Burma. Htun was a former student leader and a political prisoner from Burma. He got his Master degree majoring in Asian Studies from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
Htun Aung Gyaw
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