Last two weeks ago at the Asean summit in Singapore, Burma’s military junta Prime Minister Thein Sein was seen pretty much weird when he said that the recent unrest in Burma would have no effect on other nations and, assured Asean leaders that the unrest would pose no threat to the region, adding it is an internal issue only.

PM Thein Sein is just another speaker of the junta and everyone knows that. He works for xenophobic bizarre masters (not for the country) and, certainly he would reflect in a bizarre xenophobic way.

Junta’s mouthpiece newspaper Myanma(Burma’s)  Ahlin(Brightness or Light) which is widely jested in Burma as “Myanma(Burma’s)  Darkness” paraphrasing Thein Sein’s remarks said: “The actual situation in Burma did not pose a threat to international community, let alone regional countries’ peace and security.

It must be the funniest remark of the junta evidencing  its disrespect to the regional group in which Burma is the member. Further more, the most sickening assertion the Asean leaders heard from Thein Sein on the subject of human rights question was when he said: “World media exaggerated the news neglecting the actual facts.”

Was it? Did they really mean what they said? Or were they just trying to conceal their enormities and attempting to create lies and controversies at the Asean summit?

No matter what, lashing out ignorantly at the world media in this way was an outright antisocial irresponsible behaviour of junta’s PM Thein Sein as the Head of State representing at the major regional summit.

This unethical remark urged the world to assess whether “The world media is exaggerating the situation in Burma or the junta is just bashing blindly to deny the actual facts of the atrocities it has committed.”

Let us look back at some recent events for a while so that the world could judge who is the liar.

* World media was not exaggerating when it reported that the Japanese journalist Kenji Nagai was targeted and shot at close range. The latest police investigations in Japan confirmed he was shot at one metre range.

* Junta’s official media have put the death toll from the violent crackdown on the peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations at 10. But United Nations human rights envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro investigations revealed 15 deaths in Rangoon alone. Nationwide death toll is unknown but definitely would be quite high.

* Only after diplomats in Rangoon and the world media reports estimated the number of people arrested after the crackdown to be about 3000, junta acknowledged it has arrested over 3000 people.

* Again, world media was not exaggerating when it brought attention that the junta was deliberately creating false statements ill-using the ethnic nationalities organizations to condemn Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s statement released by the UN envoy Professor Ibrahim Gambari in Singapore on 8th Nov.

Only a few days later after the junta’s insincere condemnation announcements, UWSA(United Wa State Army) and KDA-KIO(Kachin Defence Army-Kachin Independence Organization), the two major ceasefire groups with the junta made the world known that they paid no attention to the junta’s orders and that they abstained to condemn Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

* Burma’s junta  a.k.a. SPDC declared that “Burma is back to normal, stable and peaceful now”. Really? Peaceful in fear? Stable under the barrel of the gun? Normal as poor as ever before?

Everybody knows the people of Burma suffer all kinds of hardships and human rights violations by the junta, in silence, in fear and, so afraid to confront the issue. Suffering in silence does not mean peaceful or normal. People are just moving on in silence with no hope at all.

Many of them are living with fear in their own homes, constantly in the state of being worried of the junta’s agents, might appear suddenly in the middle of the night and drag them out, just because for “clapping hands” applauding the marching monks and pro-democracy demonstrations. Or even just because of a casual tea shop conversation mistake.

* OK. Let us make it short on this. If someone asserts Than Shwe and his people are odd, quirky, cranky, zany, crazy or wacky, is he or she exaggerating? The world don’t think so.

Just look at the group photo of the Asean leaders taken in Singapore after the Asean summit, appeared in the major newspapers, leaders holding hands in hands each other. PM Thein Sein crossed his left arm over the right arm to hold the hands of the leaders on his left and right, where he should crossed his right arm over the left arm as all other leaders did. He posed wrong and opposite reflecting junta’s true intentions.

Is the world media exaggerating? The junta should take a look at the photo again for themselves.

Now let us analyse whether the Burma matter is only an “internal issue”.

Assume Than Shwe’s son-in-law joined Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD party and Than Shwe got so angry, fuming fiercely and killed the poor guy at home. Will this matter be an “internal issue” or “homicide case” or “human rights violation” ?

Definitely no one in Burma would dare to classify the matter whether “internal” or “homicide” or whatever.

Than Shwe is a despot, a dictator. So are his selected few people and his cronies. Now, there you see. This “despotic mystique” has been firmly riveted  inside their muddle heads. Thus PM Thein Sein appeared mystical at the Asean summit insisting with a despotic mystique that the Burma crisis is only an “internal issue”. He did not know how ridiculous he was to say this remark.

Another is the term “threat”. PM Thein Sein said the unrest would pose no threat to the region or the international community. Here again is the another mystique. Let us term it as “The mystique of uniformed men”. They seemed to be limited at “the guns and bullets” and have no idea to what a threat means in reality. Or junta must be a great pretender if not aware that the followings are the “threats”.

* Influx of refugees into neighbouring countries.

* Internal human rights violations could trigger misunderstandings within international community.

* Flourishing illegal drug production and marketing resulting from the internal problems is a big concern.

 *Acquiring nuclear technology even just for the production of the yellow cake is the grave threat.

* Pandemics such as Avian flu or Sars(severe acute respiratory syndrome) would be beyond control if there are internal problems.

* Increasing HIV cases in Burma is threatening the world.

* Uncontrolled(or) abetting in illegal loggings cause deforestation and climate changes.

* Obstruction in the Asean’s path in international dealings is a great threat.

* Unforeseen disasters could appear out of the internal problems and threat the world.

* Attracting and inviting international bad guys from the Northeast Asia and Middle East, such as Osama and etc. Nobody could say Osama and Than Shwe would not become buddies, since both of them have the same mystique.

One very important past event that SPDC should note is that the Asean and Asia are still fresh in their memories how the “SARS” pandemic first broke out and spread so fast killing thousands in a few days. Do not forget that the “SARS” origin was China and China at that time regarded the matter as “internal issue” and was handling discreetly.

Now, let’s go to the junta’s another claim. SPDC was attempting to get a bite at the cherry when it announced the condemnation statements abusing ethnic nationalities organizations to object Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s sincere statement released in Singapore on 8th November.

This perversion was blown because the two main ethic nationalities organizations, UWSA(Wa)  and  KDA(Kachin)  paid no attention to the junta’s orders and abstained to condemn Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

So, SPDC is now trying to get a second bite at the cherry by creating the statement that “the junta was annoyed with the UN envoy Professor Gambari for releasing a statement from Daw Aung San Suu Kyi without consulting or coordination with them”.

Therefore, some questions arise:  Why did junta announced the first countermeasure statement of objection and condemnation on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in the first place?

* It was very clear that junta first accepted Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s statement with the second thoughts on the other side of its mind.

But,the junta was caught in its own trap when UWSA and KDA abstained to condemn Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

* SPDC has never ever before done anything about coordinationation or consulting Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s statements. Neither a guarantee nor a chance was given for the release of the statements officially before. There is also no condition set out for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s statements.

How else to resolve the urgent need for dialogues for the National Reconciliation issues than to set out the position with the official statement, after due consideration?

* In putting forward that argument by the junta only after its perversion was blown, junta’s statement of annoyance is no longer valid because Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s statement was clearly lay with the willingness and acceptance of what the junta itself offered before and that in it there were no controversial or hidden facts. Thus the junta’s allegation is unfounded.

It is improper at this stage for the junta, having lost on sincerity, solomnity and truthfulness on the dialogue issue, then to invoke allegations and announced that there will be no more meetings, no more discussions, with anyone or any organisation, trying to escape from genuine National Reconciliation.

People need you. People need Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. People need all ethnic nationalities groups and their leaders. People need all other parties and their leaders. People want to see all political players of the country to conciliate and join hands to build the nation which has lost its future and getting nowhere. People need all the “Peoples’ Leaders” including “Tatmadaw”(not Than Shwe), to avert the real and present threats challenging the country.

Let all of us keep aside individual egos and disagreements and, sit at the round table as allies before it is too late to save the Motherland.