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constructive engagement



In my previous response to Lisa's query, I wrote:

"It's not "constructive engagement" vs economic sanctions.   In some
twisted ways, both approaches are complemental."

I just want to add a few things:

1) "Constructive engagement" and corporate sector's version "Increased
trade will lead to democracy as practiced by the ASEAN  is NOT even
engagement in the good sense of the word.  They don't go and engage anyone
other than Slorc.  This has been pointed out  by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
herself.

It essentially is a greed-driven naked exploitation disguised under the
appearance of backdoor diplomacy.

During  a talk at the University of Wisconsin, former Singaporean
Ambassador to US (his first name is Nathan) angrily responded to questions
about Burma and arms sale by Singapore's "Asiatically Democratic"
Government immediately after the bloody crackdown in Burma in 1988:  "If we
are concerned about moraility, we would be running  a church, not the
government."

(His response came after he attempted to persuade American academics and
students that Singapore was vital to **peace and stability** in the  region
and hence, US should strengthen the tie and, of course, increase trade
volumn.  So much for the peace-loving diplomat and his democratic
government.)

In a different context, in his talk at Lund University,  Deputy-Director of
London's School of Oriental and African Studies and Burma "expert,"
Professor Dr. Robert Taylor sang the praise of Slorc, which in his
judgment, is being "on the right track."  The corrolary (sp?) of this type
of phony scholarship is that for this reason, constructively engaging Slorc
is a good thing and punishing them is simply wrong.

2)  A former advisor to Thai Prime Minister (before the current) also
comforted me in public during his lecture here at Wisconsin that his
government was having behind-the-scene diplimatic talks as an attempt to
show their Burmese brothers in uniform the way to democracy.  Of course,
Burmese-model to be built in the democratic traditions of Indonesia and
Thailand and to be built at Slorc's convenience.

Our eternal thanks to your contributions!

All we know is constructive engagement works like magic in terms of
deforestation (Burma has the firstest deforestation rate after Indonesia
and Brasil), the spread of HIV (Slorc has a solution: inject cyanide.),
increased number of women and girls smuggled out of my country and
exploited in Thailand's sex consumer market, and, oh before I forget, more
slave labor.  One can't help but wonder if the democrats in Thailand and
their demcoracy-loving generals would care to persuade our Burmese
generals, if we didn't have natural gas, teak trees, rubies and jades, fish
and prawns, cheap and conscript labor, and of course a 45 million people
market for "Made in Thailand" goods.

3.  Recently for $200 I briefed a top business executive who was about to
leave for Burma to oversee his company's Burma operation for two years  on
the situation in Burma. I  attempted, rather unsuccessfully, to ask him to
raise the issue of human rights, democratic reforms, and genuine
liberalization of economy when interacting with his general friends in
Rangoon.

The gentleman even refused to see 10 min massacre video-tape, politely
telling me "let's do that next time."  When I described the human rights
situations graphically, he stared back at me with teary eyes.  Of course he
is a good family man with a humanly understanding and heart.  But greed
enslaves and disables him from raising a critical voice against his
uniformed business partners.

When asked to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi just to get a sense of where she stands
in regards to foreign investment,  his gentlemanly response was:  "Oh  no,
no, no.  I can't do that.  They (i.e., thugs) are going to kick me out
right away, man."   I could detect in his eyes his serious concerns for his
welfare.  Never the plight of the 45 million children, men, women, and
monks enslaved by their own army.


 On the question of the prospect of democracy and human rights, the
gentleman expressed his belief that there will be democracy in Burma within
the next 5 years, the most.  And this insightful observation was made on
the basis of 3 day survey and contract-signing visit to Rangoon and its
vicinity.  (Unocal-Total 2 hour areial survey comes to mind with regards to
environmental consequences and implications for indigenous communities.)
Delusion or conviction, only HE would know.  Indeed, as Pepsi's Christopher
Sinclair proudly claims, "Trade can be an enlightening (liberating??)
element in otherwise oppressed societies."

More capital + more capitalists= democracy and freedom

So much for constructive engagement.


zarni

______
When spiders unite they can tie down a lion.  (Ethiopian Proverb)

The Free Burma Coalition
Tel: 608-256-6572
Fax: 608-263-9992