PR farm in India

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Pro-military PR farm in India

The Indo-Burma relation became sour since 1988 as the largest democracy
denounced the crackdown on unarmed demonstrators in Burma. But the
bureaucrats in the South block in Delhi convinced the minority unstable
government to resume warmer cordial relation by opening the border trade
in 1996. Some Indians view that Indo-Burma border trading paves the way
for narcotic and HIV inflow into India. India, last month gave $10 million
for railway industry of SPDC.

Surprisingly, in contrast to Thailand, Indian media plays very low profile
on Burma. While the Bangkok Post and the Nation printed at least two to
four news items daily on Burma, there are very few Indian papers, both
English and Hindi which write a column less than twice a week on Burma.
Till today, India's interest or concern sticks on Pakistan and China
although India wants to be inducted into the Security Council of the UN.
That makes difficult to address to Indian public what is really going in
Burma.

In the wake of Burma policy turn-about, the Indian business community in
Burma becomes privileged. Like, Buddhist Monk Body, Sangha Mahanayaka, all
top religious leaders of all religions are picked and favored. The Hindu
in Burma was not exempt. The meditation canters near Bombay and Buddha
Gaya play a role by providing the venue for exchange visits for both
countries. It is understandable that Goinka family has established major
business in Burma.

In contrast to PR farms in US, it is very cheap to conduct the public
relations in India. A detailed article in Washington Post on February 24,
1998, "Burma's Image Problem Is a Moneymaker for U.S. Lobbyists," revealed
that two Washington, DC-lobbying companies are being paid over $650,000
this year by Burmese companies with close links to the ruling generals to
conduct "a campaign" on behalf of Burma's military dictatorship. 

Tha-nandana-dahma-palaka (Sa-na-ta-na), which is the Hindu association in
Burma turned as a PR firm to lure Burma-origin Indians. U Sein Tin and his
colleagues are visitinIndia to seduce Indian Burmese. He, in a meeting
recently held in Janak Puri, told that the government of Burma after 1988
was so good for Hindu community in Burma. His comment was based on the
fact that the generals showed up in the meeting of them. His logic is to
be friendly with the military in Burma. It was not a surprise that to the
meeting, the prominent pro-democracy Indian Burmese activists like U Maw
Thiri (former supervisor of AIR) and U Ramjeet Verma (NLD) were not
invited. The Indian community in Delhi was advised to help the works of
Burmese embassy on Shanti Path. His organization pledged that if someone
could buy a round-trip air-ticket and bring just 2,000 rupee, he or she
would be escorted inside Burma. The delegation, which is said to be close
to RSS and BJP, also met with the Prime Minister of India this week. I
wish the honorable Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee would not be badly
briefed. 

It is a wrong message indeed to the Indian-Burmese. The majority of Hindus
in Burma are farmers, who voted for NLD in 1990 election. They are not
treated as minority while 135 ethnic people are recognised. The foreign
minister, Ohn Gyaw has visited Dhaka for Rohinja refugees. I do not notice
any Indian leaders who express concern on Hindu minority in Burma. I am
also afraid that more Indians will serve as informers to Burmese embassy
against pro-democracy activists residing in India since some of them have
been working so. 5-member coordination committee will raise fund of 350
crore rupee for that business.

(The Outlook magazine of 27-4-98 wrote: "RSS is Rashtriya Swayamsewak
Sangh formed in 1925. Its goal has been clear to establish a vibrant Hindu
nation. Historians explain its birth as a Hindu revivalist response to the
Hindu-Muslim communal tensions of the early 1920s. The cosmopolitan Nehru
and Communists were the ideological enemies. But the real threat was
Gandhi who rejected the RSS notion of Hinduism completely.")

Tint Swe