RESPONSE OF INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

ON MYANMAR

The following is the response of the Thailand Newspaper on Myanmar’s acceptence into ASEAN, printed on 1.6.97. in_

THE NATION EDITORIAL.

“SHAMEFUL FOR ASEAN TO EMBRACE BURMA”

Asean will never be the same again.

1. By embracing Burma as a member it has itself become a pariah organization.

2. Coming as it does on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the decision yesterday will have repercussions far beyond whatever Asean leaders may envisage.

3. It has indeed irreversibly damaged the organization’s integrity and setback some three decades of achievement.

4. We firmly believe the applications for membership by Burma, Laos and Cambodia should be judged on their individual merits and readiness, just as it has always been in other regional organizations.

5. But still, these qualifications are secondary to their peoples’ desire for freedom and democracy.

6. To accept Burma without any conditions is to ignore the aspirations of the Burmese people., who voted for Aung San Suu Kyils National League for Democracy (NLD in 1990.

7. Why bless a regime that is clearly not legitimate?

8. A regime that is willing to go back on its word.

9. From the beginning, the Burmese junta’s motive in bidding for membership of Asean was obvious a regional aegis to prolong its own repressive rule and to fight against Western pressure for openness.

10. By exploiting Asean’s strengths and weaknesses the junta leaders have been able to turn the membership issue into an East-West divide - Asean against the West.

11. In the two years Burma has sought a closer rapport with Asean it has never lived up to regional or international norms of conduct and behaviour.

12. Now, Asean would like us and the world to believe that as a member of Asean, the Slorc leaders will be more enlightened, Open-minded and less oppressive.

13. The Asean leaders’ decision yesterday was a triumph of evil over humanity.

14. There is a Thai saying that one rotten fish can spoil the whole basket of fish.

The biggest disappointment must be those Thai leaders who failed to play appropriate roles in leading Asean. Partisan politics and self-interest on the part of various authorities completely destroyed the unanimity of Thailand’s positions and policies. They will have to beat responsibility for the future of the Burmese people.Nonetheless, we welcome the decision to take in Laos and Cambodia, despite the political uncertainty in Phnom Penh. Laos has been preparing for this eventuality the longest, knowing full well their inadequacies. The Laotian and Cambodian peoples are supportive of their governments’ desire to join Asean.

Actually Thailand Newspapers_

1. are independent
2. and not the mouthpiece of the Thai government.
3. They are usually critical
4. but always give fair reporting in any subject about any country.
5. They have a lot of dignity
6. and command respect.
7. Not only in reporting
8. but comments
9. and even sometimes predictions also done sometimes.
10. They are famous for the investigative reporting,
11. which is very rare and impossible to find in this part of the world.
12. For example, the Nation published the full page article of Bertil Lintner, predicting that Ne Win will create an anti-Muslim riots in 1988, two months earlier than the actual happening.
13. He had even predicted correctly that, that racial riots will backfire and the resulting snowball effect will cause the downfall of Ne Win.
14. When compare to the news blackout regarding the Anti-Muslim riots of Burma in Muslim Asean countries, it was a very brave stand we all should applaud.
15. We had sent the news to those “Muslim” newspapers, personally as well as by post- but they refused to publish giving the lame excuse as those were sensitive news for their countries. What a BULL SHIT, New Straits Times and Stars. The Stars decided it is not sensitive when their fellow Chinese were suffering in Indonesia during Anti-Chinese Riots.
16. Although Thailand is a Buddhist dominant country, have a sizable population of Muslim population, situated very near and even shared a common border with Burma, they never cover up those racial riots against Muslims by giving lame excuse as a sensitive issue.
17. They even published the colour photographs of the Buddhist Monks destroying the Mosques and tearing and throwing the Holy Korans.
18. But the Asian Muslim newspapers cowardly blackout those even when offered the photos.

On 17th. Jan 1999 night on Malaysian NTV7’s Date line programme_

1. we have seen a disgusting and a shameful comment from a Chinese Journalist from the Star English newspaper from Malaysia.
2. We even want to vomit. While denouncing the foreign newspapers, he mentioned that even the Asean newspapers are the same and he especially picked the Thailand newspapers.
3. He complained that the Thai newspapers keep on writing about Myanmar.
4. What is wrong with that, my stupid “Syncophant journalist”?
5. You have no right to comment about Thailand and Myanmar.

6. You are disqualified to comment according to your “ASEAN SPIRIT”.

7. Don’t interfere in our internal affairs.

8. We know your very poor basic general knowledge when you comment to the CNBC that United States is a racially homogenous country!

9. CNBC representative hit you back immediately with irrefutable proof that he himself is a “Black” and there are a lot of sensitivities to be careful in his country but they have to always reveal the truth.

10. And you have stupidly said that there is no such thing as investigative reporting as far as you are concern.

11. And you have shamelessly agree that your profession here is to support establishment. Don’t call yourself a journalist. You are just the propaganda specialist or advertisement section officer only.

12. We don’t care your “duties” here, even if you refused to print the atrocities against the Muslims in Myanmar but please do not stupidly interfere or condemn the Thai newspapers’ good job of reporting of Myanmar.

13. We hope you are not the victim of “turn over” by the Myanmar Military.

14. Who knows, the carrot and stick can come from any-where. But fear and favour should not dictate a good journalist.

The previous youth leader although a Muslim, announced in the newspapers that he had recently came back from Myanmar and there were no Anti-Muslim activities there.

1. He was later removed from office because of unrelated another reason but who knows, may be because of that sin against the religion.

2. His deputy promised to head a team to go to Myanmar to probe the truth.

3. But no official report came out when they returned.

In Islam, if some one commit a sin or wrong doing, we must respond in one of the three grades of responses, according to our Iman or Faith.

1. If we have enough power, we have to physically use forced to stop that.

2. If we are weak to use force, we have to verbally protest our displeasure and tell to stop that.

3. If we are too weak and dare not open our mouth, at least we have to hate that act in our heart. This is the weakest Iman or Faith in Islam.This is our faith and is a mandatory in Islam.

4. If we help the wrong doer by covering up, it is a sin not only according to the religion, but also committing a crime according to the human laws.

5. If someone knows that another person is committing a crime and kept quiet, it is a sheer cowardice.

6. But if his silence is for some hidden agenda or undisclosed benefits he could get from that person i.e. to save his personal interest he also is guilty and partially responsible for that crime.

7. And we must consider the possible consequent mischief of, for example the repetition of that crime or progression into committing of more atrocities.

8. If that person covers up and says that nothing is wrong, he is guilty for obstructing the justice.

9. It is curious to note that not only the Muslim countries in ASIAN but also the remaining Islamic countries have failed to help the Muslims of Myanmar effectively.

OIC countries, leaders and all the Arabs are almost always busy with Palestinian-Israel and Iraq problems and infightings amongst themselves.

1. But the Christian welfare organizations,

2. Christian Western Countries

3. and the “notorious” (more correctly famous for the Myanmar Muslims) George Soros (of Jew faith) are helping the Myanmar Muslims.

4. Even the Rohingya leader Professor Zakaria had voiced his concern about those strange phenomena. He is rightfully worried about the possible consequences of the growing influences of those non-Muslim donors and helpers.

5. No wonder not only the whole population of Myanmar peoples but the Muslims there hate all the governments of Asean.

Asean said that they were accepting the Myanmar as a country. But all these governments done all the dealings with the Military government. Myanmar peoples are neglected.

1. Even among the Asean countries, ordinary civilian Myanmars are discriminated.

2. Although we are Asean members we need visa to enter Asean countries. Visa exemption is for the cronies of the Myanmar Military government only.It is even more difficult to get a visa nowadays. Before joining Asean, Myanmars could enter Singapore without visa. Now we are Asean members, but we now need a visa not like other members.

3. Although some Asean leaders especially Chinese Chauvinist Singaporian leaders are shouting about meritocracy and some of them declaring that their law never look at the colour of the skin nor discriminate, Myanmars are denied the chances those great, fair ASEAN leaders have reserved for other foreigners.

4. For them, white skin people from US and EU, rich people from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Arabs and other ASEAN (except Myanmar) e.g. Thailand, Indonesia, Philippine, Singapore and Malaysia and some common wealth countries are important. All the facilities, favours and jobs must be reserved for them. Not for Myanmars, even if that Myanmar happens to be a Muslim and the host country is a Muslim dorminent country.

5. Even Myanmar workers are not allowed to register at their Immigrations, except special approval on and off. Even among the illegals in the detention camp, the citizens of few most favoured countries are allowed to register and so legalized but not Myanmars. (In 80’s up to early 90’s but when Bangladesh refused contract to their oil company and awarded the tender of US oil company but Myanmar SPDC allowed their oil company to invest, they stopped Bangalis and started to accept Myanmars)

6. In Singapore and Brunei, most of the Myanmar professionals are not allowed to register, although the same qualified person may be registered if sponsored by the Myanmar Military government or if they can show the registration from the west(although they got the degree from Myanmar Universities.)

7. Even to get a student visa or to get a training post or to get a dependant visa, these governments made it difficult for Myanmars.

8. Even in Singapore, Indian citizens and of course Chinese foreigners are treated much more favourably than Myanmars.

9. And for the PR and citizenship applications there are discrimination laws or Rules and Regulations or Government secret Circulars in all Asean countries. Once we were surprised to be told by a cabinet Minister that there is a Cabinet ruling to be careful on Myanmars and there was no exemption even for Myanmar Muslim Professionals legally working here. But we have to be fair by recording here that almost all of the authorities are willing to extend their help to us unofficially.

10. Myanmar Embassy told us that the mutual tax exemption agreement is for the government’s official business only. So what is the use benefit the ordinary Myanmars got by entering ASEAN.

11. All of us know that the children and the friends of some of the ASEAN leaders got big projects and contracts in Myanmar.“