Japan's Aid to Military Junta Fuels Oppression: Progress?
MAINICHI DAILY NEWS
Aung San Suu Kyi
6 April, 1998
Last month I mentioned in my letter that U Thein Tin, a writer and one of the regular comers to the first NLD reading circles, had been imprisoned without trial since 1996 and that he was seriously ill. U Thein Tin died on Feb. 18 at the Rangoon General Hospital. He was officially "released" less than 48 hours before his death, that is to say, when it was obvious that his last moments were fast approaching. He had been suffering from cancer of the liver and the physicians who examined him must have known for some months that he did not have long to live. Why was it not possible for the authorities to release him earlier so that his family might have had the solace of caring for him during his final days? Death in custody is nothing new to the NLD, but one does not become accustomed to gratuitous cruelty.
In the meantime, U Kyaw Min, the architect whom also I mentioned in connection with the reading circle, has been hospitalized (as a prisoner) with various ailments. The rapid deterioration in the health of prisoners is of constant concern to their families and friends. The International Red Cross Association is not allowed to inspect prisons in Burma, but even without such inspections we can confidently conclude that political and other prisoners in Burma are not accorded basic humane care.
Arrests and arbitrary trials, like deaths in custody, are nothing new to us. But recently there has been a slight variation on an old theme. Feb. 12 was Union Day, which celebrates the coming together of the various ethnic nationalities of Burma in the cause of independence. We celebrate it with appropriate statements, speeches, and an entertainment program centered on the idea of unity and mutual understanding. We also set up stalls where ethnic handicrafts and textiles illustrating the diversity of cultures within our nation are sold. One of our women members of Parliament, Nan Khin Htwe Myint, started out for Rangoon from her home in the Karen State on Feb. 9. On the way, her baggage, which included goods to sell at our Union Day celebration, was searched. (It is quite usual for the authorities to search the baggage of people traveling from one part of Burma to another. The ostensible reason is to ascertain that there is no flow of contraband goods throughout the country, but there are privileged groups whose cars bear special number plates which guarantee immunity from any kind of search.) After the authorities had gone through her belongings, Nan Khin Htwe Myint discovered that some things were missing.
She spoke about this to the officers who had conducted the search and an argument ensued. She was then arrested on the grounds that she had obstructed officers in the process of discharging their duties. Within two days she had been tried and sentenced to two years imprisonment. Her family knew nothing of what had happened until they heard that she was in prison. Soon after her arrest, the party signboard was forcibly removed from her home where the NLD office was located.
On Union Day itself, some members of the NLD in the delta town of Bassein decided to commemorate the occasion by holding a small reading circle in the party office. They were prevented from doing so by the authorities, three party members were arrested and four charges, including that of obstructing officers in the process of discharging their duties, were moved against them. Within a week they were tried, without presence of counsel, and each of the accused was sentenced to four and half years in prison. Speedy trials and heavy sentences for the "crime" of questioning official action seems to have replaced the old process of charging our members under the notorious section 5(j) and dragging out the trials for months. In addition, the authorities in Bassein took advantage of the vulnerable position of the widowed and financially distressed landlady of the NLD office to pressure her to take legal action to evict the party from the premises. The court case was as usual conducted in a way that had little to do with accepted norms of justice, and of course the decision went against the NLD.
Last month, a number of people, estimated at around 40, were arrested in connection with what the authorities viewed as a form of samizdat publication. A couple of octogenarians were among those arrested. They are known to have been taken to Insein Jail, but of course they have not been allowed access to their families or to counsel. The government newspapers have published an article to the effect that because there has been such an international outcry on behalf of U Ohn Myint, one of the octogenarians, his chances of release were slim. Such are the petty considerations that thwart the course of justice in Burma.
Under these circumstances it is difficult to understand how it can be thought that there has been an improvement in the human rights record of the military regime. I understand that there are elements within the Japanese official worlds who maintain that there has been enough progress in Burma in recent months to justify the resumption of limited aid. As evidence of progress, mention has been made of the step "toward dialogue" taken by the authorities last November. This is a reference to the occasion when the deputy minister for home affairs summoned members of the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the NLD to a meeting with less than 24 hours notice.
The meeting started off with the deputy minister declaring that his government was a military government and that they have as yet no intention of giving democracy to the country. He then proceeded to berate the members of the CEC for statements issued by the NLD. These statements, he said, were detrimental to the government and should be stopped forthwith. He added that action could be taken if more statements continued to be issued. He went on to speak about the NLD "propaganda" which, he claimed, had resulted in economics sanctions and a deterioration in the relations of the government with the international community. How is it possible to view an occasion when our senior members were summoned like criminals and scolded like juvenile delinquents as progress of any kind toward dialogue?
The Japanese government has now decided to provide a substantial sum of money toward repairs to the international airport at Rangoon. It was explained that this sum is a mere fraction of the original amount earmarked for Burma before the troubles of 1988 and that the intended repairs were essential for the maintenance of basic safety for landing aircraft. However, I understand that ICAO is of the opinion that the safety features for which the Japanese money will be used are not essential. This makes the decision of the Japanese government difficult to understand. Aid to Burma was stopped after 1988 on the grounds that the military regime had violated human rights. The resumption of aid in any form will doubtless be used by those with vested interests to claim that there has been an improvement in the human rights record in Burma. In view of the recent wave of arrests, the continuing inhumane treatment of prisoners, the unrelenting repression of political activities and the plight of our refugees and internally displaced persons, the decision of the Japanese government is deeply disappointing. It is a decision that belittles human rights in this year that commemorates the golden anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations.
