Kit Siang: Get tough with Burma
Published: Oct 22, 2004 11:11 AM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 6:21 PM
Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang today urged Malaysia and Asean to hold ransom Burma's post of Asean chair in 2006 if its military-run government does not uphold international commitments on democracy and national reconciliation.
The opposition leader wants Malaysia and Asean to hold Burma ransom over its post of Asean chair in 2006 if its military-run government does not uphold international commitments on democracy.
Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang today urged Malaysia and Asean to hold ransom Burma's post of Asean chair in 2006 if its military-run government does not uphold international commitments on democracy and national reconciliation.
"Malaysia and Asean should send a clear message that the rotation of Asean chair to Myanmar (also know as Burma) in 2006 would be aborted if the Myanmarese (Burma) military junta backtracks from its regional and international commitments on democratisation... after the new palace coup toppling Khin Nyunt by the hardliners," he said in a statement.
The former Burmese premier General Khin Nyunt (pix) and head of the military intelligence was removed from his post on Tuesday after what is said to be an internal power-struggle with chairperson of the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) General Than Shwe.
"The palace coup toppling Khin Nyunt has not only cast a dark cloud on all efforts by the United Nations (UN) to move the junta towards democratisation and national reconciliation, it has discredited the seven-year 'constructive engagement' policy of Asean to make Myanmar a more responsible international player by (its admission into the body)," said Lim.
The dethroned premier - who had only been in the post for a year - was seen by the international community as a more pragmatic leader of the junta and was thought to be succumbing to strong calls to release democratic icon Aung San Suu Kyi.
Lim said UN secretary-general Kofi Annan was right in expressing his concern with the latest developments in Burma with regards to the junta's commitment.
He urged Malaysia and Asean to publicly endorse Annan's call for the immediate release of Suu Kyi, her political party's deputy-chairperson U Tin Oo and all political prisoners as well as for the military to engage in "meaningful tripartite political dialogue with the pro-democracy movement and ethnic nationalities".
Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) was voted into power by the Burmese people in a 1990 election but the military - which has been in control since a coup in 1962 - refused to acknowledge the results and barred the party from holding state.
Mahathir's words
Meanwhile, Lim also quoted Malaysia's former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in urging Asean to get tough with Burma.
"In July last year, the then prime minster, Mahathir said that Myanmar might be expelled from Asean if its military rulers continued defying world pressure to release democracy activist Suu Kyi, although, he made it clear that this would only be considered as a last resort," he added.
Burma's junta has elected hardliner General Soe Win - who is said to be responsible for the bloody attacks on Suu Kyi and her supporters last year - as its new prime minister.
"With the latest developments such as the appointment of Soe Win, who is blamed for the Depayin Massacre of May 2003... the time has come for Asean leaders to seriously weight Mahathir's 'last resort'," said Lim.
The attacks left numerous pro-democracy advocates and supporters dead and led to 59-year-old Suu Kyi's third bout of being put under house-arrest, the first coming in 1989.
"Malaysia and Asean should send a clear message that the rotation of Asean chair to Myanmar (also know as Burma) in 2006 would be aborted if the Myanmarese (Burma) military junta backtracks from its regional and international commitments on democratisation... after the new palace coup toppling Khin Nyunt by the hardliners," he said in a statement.
The former Burmese premier General Khin Nyunt (pix) and head of the military intelligence was removed from his post on Tuesday after what is said to be an internal power-struggle with chairperson of the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) General Than Shwe. "The palace coup toppling Khin Nyunt has not only cast a dark cloud on all efforts by the United Nations (UN) to move the junta towards democratisation and national reconciliation, it has discredited the seven-year 'constructive engagement' policy of Asean to make Myanmar a more responsible international player by (its admission into the body)," said Lim.
The dethroned premier - who had only been in the post for a year - was seen by the international community as a more pragmatic leader of the junta and was thought to be succumbing to strong calls to release democratic icon Aung San Suu Kyi.
Lim said UN secretary-general Kofi Annan was right in expressing his concern with the latest developments in Burma with regards to the junta's commitment.
He urged Malaysia and Asean to publicly endorse Annan's call for the immediate release of Suu Kyi, her political party's deputy-chairperson U Tin Oo and all political prisoners as well as for the military to engage in "meaningful tripartite political dialogue with the pro-democracy movement and ethnic nationalities".
Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) was voted into power by the Burmese people in a 1990 election but the military - which has been in control since a coup in 1962 - refused to acknowledge the results and barred the party from holding state.
Mahathir's words
Meanwhile, Lim also quoted Malaysia's former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in urging Asean to get tough with Burma.
"In July last year, the then prime minster, Mahathir said that Myanmar might be expelled from Asean if its military rulers continued defying world pressure to release democracy activist Suu Kyi, although, he made it clear that this would only be considered as a last resort," he added. Burma's junta has elected hardliner General Soe Win - who is said to be responsible for the bloody attacks on Suu Kyi and her supporters last year - as its new prime minister.
"With the latest developments such as the appointment of Soe Win, who is blamed for the Depayin Massacre of May 2003... the time has come for Asean leaders to seriously weight Mahathir's 'last resort'," said Lim.
The attacks left numerous pro-democracy advocates and supporters dead and led to 59-year-old Suu Kyi's third bout of being put under house-arrest, the first coming in 1989.
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