US Officials Criticize Burmese Neighbors
LALIT K JHA
Tuesday, April 26, 2011


In this photo takwen on Nov. 2010, a landmine victim with an artificial limb walks inside the Mae La refugee camp near the Thai-Burmese border.
(Photo: Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — For Burma’s big neighbors, India, China and Thailand in particular, issues regarding restoration of democracy or safeguarding the human rights of its people is preceded by their “strategic” or “economic” national interests, which is making it tough for the international community to move things in the right direction at an accelerated pace, top US officials said.

For instance, while Thailand wants to push refugees back to Burma, the government in Bangkok wants to increase its investment in Burma. Other neighbors China and India are competing for their “strategic” space in Burma, top Obama administration officials said at a panel discussion on Monday.

“Clearly India and Burma are two big powerful neighbors right next door. So for them Burma, ... I believe, number one [is] a strategic concern in terms of how do they get along with Burma, in terms of politically, in terms of economically,” said Joe Yun, the deputy assistant secretary of state in the bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

“We must also remember that, historically, there has been competition between India and China ... So Burma tends to be a little bit of ground for competition for these two big neighboring powers. So in my assessment, strategic considerations comes first and thereafter other issues like human rights,” Yun said at the panel discussion held after the screening of the movie “Burma Soldier” at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration Eric Schwartz said that both China and India have to certainly understand that this Burmese government is served by despair, desperation, and that the kind of oppression that exists in Burma can only be a source in the medium and long term for greater levels of uncertainty and greater sources of instability.

Earlier, Myo Myint, representing "Burma Soldier,” alleged that the Thai government is now planning to deport the hundreds and thousands of refugees living at the Thai-Burmese border. As such, he sought the help of the international community to prevail upon Thailand not to deport Burmese refugees from Thailand. “There has been no change in the political situation after the elections and the formation of the new government,” he said.

Schwartz said the US would not accept repatriation of Karen refugees by the government of Thailand, which now believes that there are signs of improvement in situation in Burma after the elections. This view is not shared by the United States, which argues that there has not been any improvement in the situation in Burma.

Noting that humanitarian problems require political solutions, Schwartz said one never knows how this political change will take place in Burma. Referring to recent events in the Middle East or other popular uprisings in other parts of the world in the past two decades, the US official said it is very difficult to suppress indefinitely the basic will and desire of people to chart their own futures.

irrawaddy.org


Earlier, Myo Myint, representing "Burma Soldier,” :

https://teakdoor.com/thailand-and-asi...a-soldier.html (Burma : Burma Soldier)


.