23.07.2006
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Join Democracy for Burma Alliance
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Don’t worry Myanmar Generals; ASEAN is just firing blanks
Don’t worry dear SPDC Generals, Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar’s declaration: _
“The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) will not continue to defend the Burmese military government if it continues to be reluctant to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and take new democratic steps”.
_ is just a ritual firing of blanks to Myanmar Government before each and every ASEAN meeting like ceremonial display of fire works only.
Many ASEAN leaders including Malaysian leaders used to make this kind of thunderous rambling show off noises before each and every ASEAN meetings but they never dare to walk the talk but always fizzled out in the thin air later. They should even change ASEAN to NATO, no action talk only organization. But it is a pity they could not take that name because there is a real NATO although that group really took actions many times eg Bosnia conflict, Afghanistan etc not like ASEAN talk shop.
The advertisement on the Malaysian TV, produced by Film Negara Malaysia is far from reality for most of the Myanmar/Burmese citizens. What kind of integration of people do they mean? It is just a mockery for the ordinary citizens of Myanmar.
When I had a false hope about the better future for Burmese citizens as a ASEAN member, when Malaysia was promoting the acceptance of our country into ASEAN, then the president of ABIM rightly pointed out to me that Burma’s entry into ASEAN would not brought in any benefits to its citizens. I wrongly thought that he was a pessimistic and I keep my optimistic views in my heart that with the good relations between the ASEAN countries, we Burmese/Myanmar citizens could get some favourable treatments in ASEAN countries.
How naive was my optimistic day dreams! When we were outside the ASEAN, Burmese citizens could enter Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore without any visa. Now ASEAN member Myanmar citizens need visas to enter all these countries. ASEAN Visa free status is said to be for Myanmar Government officials only. What a lame excuse, when it was never difficult or a problem for the Burmese/Myanmar Government officials to get visa, or stay permit in ASEAN countries even before this visa agreement.
Many ASEAN countries including Malaysia signed double taxation agreements with Myanmar. Oh! It is for Government related business only but not for all other ordinary citizens. So we all need to pay additional or double income tax at Myanmar Embassies after paying duly at the host country’s Income Tax Departments. And what we pay to Myanmar Embassies are also not tax deductible with the host countries’ Income Tax Departments.
ASEAN Myanmar’s manual workers were not accepted here although many other nations were favoured. Only when Indonesian gang fights and even revolt against local police and when Bangladeshi workers’ involvement with local girls and some of them testified against the government at the Ms Irene Fernandez’s trail, they were banned and Myanmar workers are accepted because there is no choise. Because Myanmar Military Veteran Association was the major labour provider, Military and ex-military relatives are only favoured to work here.
And ASEAN manual workers are forced to pay exuberant Levy charges in ASEAN Countries. After that they are also forced to buy Insurance policies. But public hospitals still charged 300% of First Classes and always dumped in third classes and on most of the times even denied the emergency treatments if those are expensive. They are forced to discharge from public hospitals and cruelly advised to go and treat at very expensive public hospitals which they could not afford at all.
Malaysian Government, PSD and oil company Petronas awarded scholarships on Government to Government basis. So Military’s relatives and cronies only got those scholarships. Private students are totally ignored.
In IIU (UIA) International Islamic University, Burmese Students were given places to study Medicine, Engineering and Law before we were ASEAN members. After we are accepted as fellow ASEAN, those good places are nowadays denied to Myanmar students. IIU authorities blatantly declared that these prestigious places are meant for the locals only and some of the foreign staff of IIU. If the IIU Authorities could not shed that selfish rule, they should just delete the “International” word from their University and stop accepting International donations.
And the IIU authorities are quite naive to reject all the Burmese Students for their Matriculation Classes with the lame excuse that IIU has no bilateral agreement with Myanmar Government. But they are accepting even non-Muslim students from India because Indian Government is a democratic government and racially tolerant on Muslims, ready to negotiate with IIU, not like anti-Islamic SPDC Generals who would never sign any agreement with an Islamic University.
Now ASEAN Foreigners’ children are no more accepted in public schools. Previously they could. Is this the price of becoming an ASEAN member?
So don’t worry SPDC Junta Generals. Your citizens are not favoured in ASEAN and you and your children, relatives and cronies only are favoured in all ASEAN countries. Just regard the rhetoric of firing blanks into air as just a welcoming gesture to all of you only. It is like your Thin Gyan Amyoke or Sonkram Cannon, they produce loud sound only but no ammunition inside. They are used to appease the US, EU and Western Countries and also to show off to the free world. After that, business will be as usual amongst all of you. They will duly announce, “ASEAN could not interfere in other country’s internal affairs. We avoid discussion at formal ASEAN meeting, but raised our concerns individually as bilateral issues at the corridors”.
Please don’t worry Sirs. They are also staying in GLASS HOUSES. There are also a lot of skeletons in their closets, not only yours.You all are warmly welcomed at the forthcoming ASEAN regional summit and all subsequent meetings as usual. After all there is a saying, “birds of the same feather flock together.”
Salamat Datang,
Welcome Comrades,
DR. SAN OO AUNG
Malaysia
Your Comments here_
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Click here for This week’s articles
Last week’s English articles
Assassinations in Burmese Political Culture
Interview with Colonel Khun Okkar
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A Visit to Moscow Museum in Mae Sot