On October 10, 2006 The Burmese military regime’s information Minister Brig-General Kyaw Hsann shamelessly commented on the Japanese government’s position in which they decided to support the United States, who had presented the issue of Burma to the UN Security Council.

He said his government and people forgive the Japanese occupation of Burma during World War II.  He said, “At that period they committed atrocities, very cruel torture in Japanese methods upon innocent people, and raped the national women “.

The reality is that the current Burmese regime uses fascist methods on its own people. Political prisoners have been tortured to death, ethnic women have been raped and brutally murdered, forced labor is practiced nationwide. The Burmese people already forgive the Japanese a long time ago, but Kyaw Hsann is trying to use the conflicts of the past to make the Japanese government feel guilty for the benefit of the Burmese military regime, not for the benefit of the Burmese people.  The military regime and its leaders are exploiting the past situation for their own benefit, in order to stay in power.

The Japanese government gave millions of dollars to successive Burmese regimes since Burma gained independence. The money was given as part of the Japanese wartime compensation.  Who benefited from it?  Under the Burmese Socialist Programme Party, one of my university friends who worked in the Japanese firm once told me that he was shocked to know that the Japanese compensation funds were used to buy Mazda 929s, television sets and video players.  The Japanese officials suggested that the Burmese counterpart buy things for the Burmese people, but the officials refused to help their own people.  The top brass only want luxury cars and television sets.

In his own words, Kyaw Hsann said “However, the Japanese government neglected our attitude, our sincerity, and our forgiveness of our people”.

When we look at the regime’s past motivation, we see only lies and brutal suppression of its own people.  Japan and Burma were at war.  It was not unusual for foreign troops to kill local people or even torture them.

But the situation in Burma is quite different. The regime held the election in 1990 and when the opposition party won the election, the regime ignored the results and captured the elected parliament members.  They neglected the people’s desire, the desire for democratic system. Before the election, the Generals told the people that they would return to the barracks after the election, that they had no desire to hold onto political power, that they would transfer political power to whoever won the election.  What kind of sincerity did they have? None. Only lies.  What kind of forgiveness did they show to the people? None! Only detaining national leader and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi for nearly three years and recently recapturing the student leaders from the 1988 uprising who have been imprisoned for more than 16 years.  The student leaders are the ones who are trying to promote national reconciliation.

Still Burma lacks freedom of expression, assembly, and publication. For 50 million people, only four newspapers exist in Burma. All of them are owned by the government and used for propaganda.

Htun Aung Gyaw

Junta expresses regret over Tokyo’s stance
(Agence France-Presse)
BURMA’s military government said it was “regrettable” that Japan had changed its stance and decided to back the United States in bringing the country before the UN Security Council.
Information Minister Brig-General Kyaw Hsann, told reporters that Japan had ignored Burma’s conciliatory attitude after World War II, when Japanese forces occupied the country.
“At that period they committed atrocities, very cruel torture in Japanese methods upon innocent people, and raped the national women,” he said.
“So it’s difficult… to forget such bitter experiences of torture. However Burma, broadmindedly and with forgiveness, forgot all the bitter experience of the past and has good relations with Japan,” he said.
“However, the Japanese government neglected our attitude, our sincerity, and the forgiveness of our people,” Kyaw Hsann said. “It is very regrettable,” he added.
During World War II, Burma was a British colony and the country began its struggle for independence from Britain after local forces took up arms against the Japanese occupiers. Since then, the two countries have developed good relations and Japan initially opposed US efforts to bring Burma before the UN Security Council over alleged rights abuses, but later
changed its stance.
The Council held discussions on Burma in late September, with the United States pressing to bring a resolution to try to force the junta to reform.
The Nation (October 10, 2006)