12.11.2006
.
.
What action to take if the SPDC toppled in Burma
_ by Dr. Habib Siddiqui
Recent events in Iraq have raised some questions which deserve serious thoughts from all those who want to see a change in Burma. Here are my thoughts:
What has happened in Iraq, under American tutelage, is not something that anyone can feel good about. The American invasion and subsequent occupation, according to the prestigious medical journal - Lancet - has caused the death of some 655,000 Iraqis inside. While we all agree that Saddam Hussein was a very brutal and autocratic military ruler, even his decades of rule inside Iraq did not result in so many deaths (even after counting massacre victims of Halabcha and Basra). There is no doubt that as a tyrant, he deserved to be tried for his crimes against humanity, including the crimes of invading two sovereign countries - Iran and Kuwait (both done at the behest of USA - yes, the invasion of Kuwait would not have happened if his government was not misled by the US Embassy officials). But when such trials are done under the behest of the USA, whose own record on human rights violations since 9/11 pales other rogue nations, it is a mockery of justice. Personally, I would have loved to see Saddam Hussein tried in the Hague, the same way many conscientious people around our globe like to see all the warlords of our time - from the SPDC military junta in Burma to Bush (USA) and Blair (UK) - tried for their respective crimes against humanity. That would have been fair.
Having said this, before I answer on the options that can be taken against the current SPDC monsters, we need to seriously think about our current situation. Where do we stand in relation to realizing freedom and liberty for all the people of Burma? There, unfortunately, I fail to see much hope. The world community outside has only provided lip services and lukewarm supports to the democracy and freedom movement for Burma. It is nowhere close to what is required to topple the regime. Truly, the threats against the despised regime are nowhere close to what I witnessed against the Apartheid South African regime of the mid-1980s. So, what would force the SPDC to relinquish their power? Nothing! The fact of the matter is: unless there is a change of heart within the very rulers of the SPDC regime, I see little hope.
The movement for democracy and liberty inside is pathetic, radar-less and infantile. True, there are some guerillas fighting in the non-Burman states, but they are not a serious threat to either oust the SPDC from their territories or to topple the regime in the capital city. With that kind of sad realities, a negotiated settlement, under the UN auspices, is the best avenue for Burma and its opposition, where the regime either honors the earlier verdict of the people or allows for a fresh, neutral election to decide who would run the country.
The verdict against Saddam Hussein, unfortunately, will not encourage any war criminal, like the SPDC rulers, to feel remotely safe should they transfer authority to a civilian government without a priori guarantee of their own safety. I think when and if the SPDC is serious, which I have serious doubt, about negotiating a peaceful transfer of government, the best option for greater good of all people of Burma would be to say that no criminal charges would be made against them provided that they disclose the whereabouts of the wealth that they had hitherto stashed away. That is, under the current scenario, the model of South Africa is the best one to follow. After all, what greater good is served with the potential threat of a death verdict for a few dozen despots compared to the benefit that the entire people could draw from a peaceful transfer of power?
If, on the other hand, there were a genuine revolution or outside intervention that helped to topple the cursed regime, my judicious preference would be to try all the regime players in the Hague for their crimes against humanity. Such a trial at the International Court is good for the greater good of all humanity. It is a sure recipe to deter any would-be tyrant to tyrannize others in the future, something that the military thugs in Burma are genuinely guilty of.
Comments:
U Myo Nyunt, Myanmar studies, Perth, Western Australia, said _
Dear Dr. Siddiqui, will leaders of the hegemonic powers be also tried at the ICJ for crimes against humanity--- genocide , torture, rape--- what have we. Please educate me.
Your Comments here_
Request: If you can kindly volunteer to translate BURMA DIGEST English articles into Burmese, please let us know burmadigest@tayzathuria.org.uk .
.
Last week's English articles