-interview carried out by Raluca Enescu-

There is a lot to say about Mr. Thomas S. Blanton. He is the director of the US National Security Archives, institution that has won the journalism George Polk award. Freedom of information is essential for justice to accomplish; that is the statement that he is making. I got a chance to talk to him about freeedom, justice and about the future of Burma

Burma Digest: During your work at the Archives, have you encountered files about the situation in Burma?

Thomas Blanton: Yes. Right now, we are part of an international network which is trying to build evidence for a “truth commission” which will happen in Burma when the transition comes; ‘cause it will come. The junta is falling apart; the country cannot keep up with that level of repression but no one knows when [it will happen], so we all have to be prepared.

Burma Digest: What information did those files contain?

Thomas Blanton: There were the Government Files of the United States, which are the ones that I tried to get for “freedom of information” requests; the political debate about what to do about the situation in Burma: how much to o changes with the politics of the United States, and how corporations who have interest in south east Asia should act; there were many debates whether to do sanctions on Burma and so on. We have filed several dozens of these “freedom of information” requests for the documents inside the State department or the White House files where they were deciding what to do; each time Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested there would be a debate; not all the evidence has yet been released but we started the process. In New York, there’s a center called the International Center for Transitional Justice, which supports all the “truth commissions” in places like South Africa or Uruguay, or Guatemala, which investigate this kind of repressive regimes and we help them set up a new rule of law. That center came to us a few years ago and said:” We think Burma will change, maybe in five years, maybe in ten years, but we must be ready with the evidence.” We started the gathering. We don’t have all the information yet, but the US government is starting to release documents.

Burma Digest: So, at this moment, what would be the US government’s position concerning Burma? What can we expect from them?

Thomas Blanton: I think at this moment the top of the US government is just not paying attention; because of the crisis, the United States government really only has little attention, and all the attention is going into places like Iraq, and as a result, I think there is very little preparation inside the US government now about a transition that could happen in Burma; but at different times before the Iraq war there have been moments where the US government did have discussions and debates and- we’re trying to get those documents to see what were the options – about what could the US do? How much pressure to put? Would sanctions work? How does this affect the situation in the country? Should we keep Burma isolated or try engagement? The same debate takes place with North Korea. For four years the Bush administration had said: “No talking” and now that failed, so I don’t know how the US government will act but I think it will take three or four years before we can get the evidence.

Burma Digest: I can see you and your organization are planning on to help a future democratic Burma.

Thomas Blanton: Yes

Burma Digest: Thank you for that. J So, what do the “truth commissions” actually do? What are their aims and mission?

Thomas Blanton: The International Center for Transitional Justice specializes in countries that have been ruled by dictatorships and then have to create the rule of law. The center studies how these countries have made peace from civil war, like Northern Ireland, how countries have got rid of dictatorships, like in Eastern Europe, how countries have thrown out racist systems like apartheid in South Africa; some of the things that seem to work are: firstly, helping build independent courts to recreate rule of law, second, to have truth commission that really investigate the crimes of the past, to bring the evidence and to bring the victims to testify. Third, there must be international attention and even expertise; not only from America but if Burma goes trough a transition, there are people of Argentina who have been trough a transition, for example, or in South Africa should go and talk about what it was like. We can share these experiences to actually do it better.

Burma Digest: What measures do you think should be taken in a future democratic Burma concerning those who nowadays are guilty of abuses of all kinds? Like those who tortured political prisoners, for instance.

Thomas Blanton: Put them on trial. In some countries today, like Sierra Leone or Liberia, the courts don’t work; they are broken from years of civil war, dictatorships, the judges are corrupt and no one trusts the court, so with the help of the United Nations and of other countries, they have set up international tribunals to put on trial the military who killed people and tortured. So, there can be justice, but it will take time. There needs to be a legal reckon, with testing of the evidence, not only a sham trial, like the one which condemned Ceausescu, in Romania.

Burma Digest: You’ve said that, very soon, there will be democracy in Burma. This is a wonderful thing and thank you for being so hopeful. What facts and predictions would you base this assumption on?

Thomas Blanton: The number one fact is that the Burmese people do not believe in the junta.

Burma Digest: Definitely.

Thomas Blanton: They demonstrated this every chance they got. The people are ready to get rid of them and, ultimately, they will.

Burma Digest: At the Burma Digest we have tried, over the past year, to bring up the issue of whether there is genocide in Burma. Can we say that there is genocide?

Thomas Blanton: I don’t know. That would be a question to ask a truth commission.

Burma Digest: Thank you very much