Washington Post Editorial; A SLORC

[RANGOONP@xxxxxxx]

A SLORC by Any Other Name
Friday, March 6, 1998; Page A24
THE ODIOUS military regime that misrules the Asian nation of Burma
recently arrested 81-year-old U Ohn Myint, a respected democratic
politician. His whereabouts, according to Amnesty International, are
unknown, his health a worrisome question. One wonders whether this
latest assault on civilized norms reflects the advice Burma's military rulers
have been receiving from their recently retained American image-makers.
These U.S. public relations employees of the cruel regime apparently have
persuaded it to change its name from the unappetizing SLORC (State Law
and Order Restoration Council) to the equally mendacious but more
neutral-sounding State Peace and Development Council. But the arrest of
U Ohn Myint, the continuing detention of the heroic leader Aung San Suu
Kyi and the detentions -- announced just last weekend -- of 40 other
activists show that, even with a new name, it's business as usual for the
ruling junta.
The junta seized power in 1988. Two years later, misjudging its own
popularity, it permitted general elections. The National League for
Democracy won in a landslide, even though the junta had put many of its
leaders under house arrest. The regime then refused to honor the results of
the election. Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of Burma's independence leader
and a Nobel Peace laureate, has been under house arrest pretty much ever
since, and Burma -- a naturally wealthy nation of 47 million people -- has
slid deeper and deeper into poverty.
Increasingly isolated, Burma's rulers have caught on that they have an
image problem in Asia and the West. According to a recent Post article by
R. Jeffrey Smith, companies with close ties to the junta have spent
hundreds of thousands of dollars on U.S. public relations firms and
lobbyists, including former television journalist Jackson Bain and -- most
astonishing, given the junta's ties to drug trafficking -- Ann Wrobleski, a
former assistant secretary of state for narcotics control. It's not known
exactly what advice the Burmese have gotten for their money. But for far
less than what their lobbyists charge, we could give them a few hints on
how to improve their image: Put an end to the practice of forced labor and
press-ganging of peasants to become military porters. Stop torturing
political prisoners and release them from the infamous (and not yet
renamed) Insein Prison. Open a dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and let
her meet freely with her supporters.
On one front, SLORC's -- or rather, SPDC's -- battle for legitimacy
gained some ground in recent days. Japan's government let it be known
last week that it is planning to resume foreign assistance to Burma after a
decade of withholding all but humanitarian aid. Why the Japanese would
want to break ranks with most of the world now, when there has been no
improvement in Burma's human rights record, is a mystery. Japan says it
wants to help rebuild Burma's international airport, which is even more of a
mystery: Why encourage investment and tourism? Aung San Suu Kyi,
Burma's rightful leader, has stated clearly that any aid and investment
would benefit not her compatriots but only Burma's corrupt rulers. It's not
clear why Japan would want to weigh in on their side.
© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company