Burmese Language
India cautions on ‘adverse’ UN probe
India has questioned the value of holding a UN Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into war crimes in Burma, an Indian diplomat recently told a General Assembly committee.
The probe, now supported by more than a dozen nations, may be “counter productive” and “end up adversely affecting the very people it is supposed to help,” Acquino Vimal said, according to the Press Trust of India.
Vimal pointed out that UN chief Ban Ki-Moon’s recent report on Burma made no mention of the CoI, which was first proposed in March by UN special rapporteur on human rights in Burma, Tomás Ojea Quintana. “We believe that the focus of efforts of the international community should be on ensuring constructive engagement with Myanmar [Burma],” Vimal said.
In comments which bore a striking resemblance to Chinese policy on Burma, Vimal also stressed the importance of “peace and stability” on India’s borders. Burma’s controversial 7 November elections would be a “step forward” in the country’s “national reconciliation process and democratic transition,” he added.
The diplomat’s comments come days after Nobel-prize winning Indian economist Amartya Sen made a statement bemoaning his country’s policies towards the Burmese regime. In July, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh welcomed junta leader Senior General Than Shwe on a state visit to India.
“It breaks my heart to see the prime minister of my democratic country – and one of the most humane and sympathetic political leaders in the world – engage in welcoming the butchers from Burma and to be photographed in a state of cordial proximity,” AFP quoted Sen as saying. India had forgotten its ideals and was emulating China because of fears over its communist rival’s growing influence in the region, he said.
While India used to offer unqualified support to Burma’s democracy movement, over the past two decades it has changed tack. The country is now investing heavily in Burma, particularly in the energy and extraction industries, and maintains a strategic partnership with the country in a bid to counter growing Chinese influence in the region.
Momentum behind the UN commission of inquiry, which would investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity by the junta and Burma’s ethnic rebel armies, appears to be flagging. Although 13 countries, led by the United States, back the probe, the Washington Post recently revealed that China is engaged in a diplomatic campaign to scupper the investigation.
Professor Ian Holliday, a specialist in China-Burma relations at the University of Hong Kong, recently told DVB that the Chinese Communist Party may also fear investigations into its own human rights record. “The core concern is not to allow anybody to stick their nose into China,” he said.
China and Burma maintain an uneasy alliance, with the larger country enjoying access to Burma’s resources and backing the junta on the international stage. China is also believed to see the military as the best bet for ensuring stability on its borders.
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Mr. Vimal is making up tales, fanciful tales at best.
How come he expects the junta to be constructive to accept any constructive engagfement in good faith? The junta is a destroyer, not a developer and a builder of democratic process or wellbeing of the people in Burma. Recent history has proved this fact. It hates democracy and hates the people who aspire for fair treatment- and mind you it looks good to India only for as long as India is supporting it. And India is for material and economic gains from Burma resources – you don’t really worry about the Burmese people, do you, Mr Vimal and party? And you call yourself a democracy. How ironic!
Shame on you, India, shame!!!
It’s obvious that any country wanting to support the illegal Government of Burma does not want a trial into human rights abuses because they themselves will be implicated in war crimes. India and China have a lot to lose when this trail starts, someone from the Indian Government called Acquino Vimal maintains that a trial will be counterproductive and will only hurt those it’s meant to help.
I say bullocks to Acquino Vimal he is only trying to defend India’s interests in Burma, he is not in the slightest interested in the fact that Thitsaphout Than Shwe and his illegal regime have been murdering torturing and raping people for years. He is not in the slightest interested that there are 9 refugee camps in Thailand with people who have had to flee for their lives from Thitsaphout Than Shwe’s murderous regime. Acquino Vimal is not in the least interested that Than Shwe ordered the deaths of the survivors of the 2007 Saffron uprising and he is defiantly not interested in the fact That Thitsphout Than Shwe sent his army into Thailand twice in the mid 90s to attack and murder Burmese refugees at camp called Kway Ka Lote. These and the many crimes that have been perpetrated on the Burmese must be answered, this evil regime in Burma lead by the criminal Thitsaphout Than Shwe must be held to account for every atrocity ever committed.
Acquino Vimal’s view on Burma issue cannot be the majority view of India as there is an instance of dishonouring election results of 1990 in Burma by this junta. If the same is happened in India how Vimal would view? If India could dishonour its General Elections held so far Vimal would be the right person.
I quote:
“The probe, now supported by more than a dozen nations, may be “counter productive” and “end up adversely affecting the very people it is supposed to help,” Acquino Vimal said, according to the Press Trust of India.”
What right does Mr Vimal (or India) have to make such remarks on others’ decent action like that, when India has not done a bit of good for Burma since Mr Tajiv Gandhi’s demise?
Is India’s greed for Burma’s resources any good for Burma? Do India’s leaders think it is a good thing to take things out of Burma at a bargain price, while the Burmese people suffer from the heinous crimes of the junta and remain poorest among the poor, losing more and more of lives and livelihoods day by day?
When you say of constructive engagement, you mean construction of greater India at the expense of the Burmese poor with a commercial engagement (apeasement) with the junta?
And you say of “counterproductive”.
You mean counterproductive to the idea and practice of Greater India?
And you say of “adverse effect on people”. You don’t really mean it to be the Burmese people, do you? Because destruction of the junta is equal to easing of the suffering of the Burmese people, not the other way round as you say. You are not being honest any way. All you want to do is to split up Burma in competition with China and take a big bite of the easy cake. Can you deny that?
Well, Mr Vimal and India, you are abetting crimes in Burma. Abetment of crime is an act of crime as you well know. And you know very well that the junta is totally responsible for all the suffering in Burma. The junta hasn’t even shown any willingness to come in prompt aid to the cyclone and flood victims, even making obstacles to local and foreign assistance. Two years after Nargis, there still remains a great deal of rehabilitation works in the delta, having terminated all foreign assistances and threatening with prison terms to local people who come to help.
Surely you know all that, being a close neighbour with free news media. (Burma is blacked out by local media)
India, you are indeed a terrible neighbour.
I don’t know how we can think well of you. Do you?
PB Publico, says: Shame on you, India, shame!!!
Acquino Vimal has echoed the Indian policy. National interest and security comes first. India does NOT want the Chinese maritime fleet and its attending navy stationed 300 kms from its borders in the Bay of Bengal. Would the USA allow the Chinese fleet to be stationed in their backyard, say at Cuba? They would do everything in their power to resist it.
The world has been totally ineffective in reigning in the Chinese. India has a late start on Burma affairs and is trying to make amends – the only way out is to support whoever is in power in Burma.