Nehginpao @ Papao

USA, EU and United Nations' Pressure

International community including the United States of America, the European Union, and the United Nations have been pressing the military regime to hold a pragmatic dialogue with the opposition groups and respect the outcome of the 1990 general elections. So far, these repeated pressures have been ignored by the military junta. As a result, the country has faced economic crises, and one such notable example was the closing down of all national banks in the country due to bankruptcy in February 2003. The brunt of this economic crisis has immensely affected the lives of people from all walks of life.

The intervention of the international community in Burma is still very limited. The military regime is under economic sanctions by the international community such as the European Union, International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United States for their excessive human rights violations. Imposing of economic sanctions is also one of the effective ways of the international community's involvement. Entry visas for leading figures of the military junta have been banned by the United States government. Meanwhile, there are several opinions that unless the international community comes up with some sort of harder intervention, the regime will continue with its traditional policy of aggression against its own people, particularly against the ethnic minority groups.

The United Nations is working hard to come up with a positive solution. A UN special envoy, Mr. Razali Ismail and Mr. Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) on Burma, have been trying their best to convince the military junta to hold dialogue with the opposition party, National League for Democracy (NLD) and with representatives of ethnic groups. In a number of occasions, these leaders have visited the country and had discussions with both the ruling military regime and the opposition groups. Although there has not been any significant change in the country's political situation, little progress has been made. Aung San Suu Kyi was released from six years (1989 - 1995) house arrest in 1995. It was during her house arrest that she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 because of her commitment to democracy with non-violent means. However, throughout the late 1990s, Suu Kyi was sporadically arrested and placed under house arrest. She was neither allowed to meet her supporters and party members nor allowed to travel freely throughout the country. She was also awarded the Presidential Medal in 2000 by the US government. She was again held under house arrest in September 2000 and later released on May 6, 2002. After her freedom from house arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi was allowed to travel throughout the country, which she had been denied for years. One sad story is that she was not allowed to be visited by her husband, Michel Aris, before he passed away on March 27, 1999. She was afraid to visit her husband on the ground that the military government would not allow her to return back once she leaves the country.

Media's Role in Political Struggle

Different Radio programs in Burmese such as Radio Free Asia (RFA), Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), and British Broad Casting Corporation (BBC) and Voice of America (VOA) are run with the assistance from the international community. These programs are routinely broadcasting the injustices and crimes perpetrated by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), besides other news from Burma. Through these programs, people from around the world are kept informed about the happening in inside Burma. As media and press are censored inside the country, the people will have to rely on the news broadcasts from the overseas stations. Freedom of speech is denied in the country. In conjunction with that, on June 7, 1996, SLORC issued a law that anyone who expresses political views publicly could be given up to 20 years imprisonment. In many places inside Burma, people could be arrested if found listening to the overseas radio programs that broadcast the weaknesses of the military junta.

The involvement of the international community has so far resulted in the release of some political prisoners. But still, there are hundreds who are languishing in different jails in the country. Most prisoners are carried to places where they are not familiar with and are confined to hazardous works, with chains hanging down from their waist to ankles. They are treated as if they were wild animals; prisoners are given unhygienic foods, no medication, and, at times, they are lashed mercilessly. Most of the prisoners would either die in their camps or work places. Sometimes, they are beaten to death by the soldiers who look after them. The writer himself, before leaving Burma, witnessed the harsh treatments meted out to prisoners.