Burma Dialogue

The international community should not be lulled into complacency by such self-serving rhetoric. The sad end of the saffron uprising, brought about not by compromise but by repression, offers a window of opportunity that the international community must seize. The world should finally wake up to the fact that Burma's suffering under its military dictatorship can no longer be swept under the carpet. If the sacrifices of the monks and other brave citizens of Burma are not to be in vain, the momentum of international pressure must continue.

Archarya makes a good case as he continues in this article to agree with ASEAN that sanctions will only further isolate the military junta in Burma, giving proxy to the predator to continue to "govern" in the way it see's fit. With many more dead than the military is officially declaring, now the world is getting an attuned taste of the complex nature of Burma's relationship with the outside world.

The contradictions between applauding ASEAN for expressing "revulsion" at the military's crack down on the peaceful protest and the continued declaration by activist who say ASEAN is far too reticent in its approach to Burma is a fair demonstration of East West contradictions.

Chinese diplomats hold firm that the Western approach to Burma will create more conflict, but China's Ambassador to the UN, Wang Guangya said "we want to see them making progress on the road of democratization". It will certainly take the Eastern approach some time to reconcile its financial interest in Burma as well.

Many different views were also expressed concerning Aung San Suu Kyi's meeting with government official Aung Kyi.

While the meeting appeared on the immediate surface to be an attempt appease international calls for talks with Daw Suu Kyi and the NLD, this was just a photo opportunity. Which in the end is an obvious (and maybe brilliant) piece of anti-democratic propaganda. Why? Because the international attention span will not stay focused long enough to see through the junta trying to paint Daw Suu as the "unreasonable one". The junta is reported to have requested Daw Suu drop her demands on many issues, including international sanctions and acknowledging the legitimacy of the government. Some may argue this move recognizes the importance of Daw Suu. Look again at that photo. Where do things stand today? Aung San Suu Kyi is still under house arrest the people of Burma are still under the same oppressive hand and yet the junta has these pictures to throw around which appear to have Aung San Suu Kyi in her own contradictions. We all know she will never negotiate with the junta. But in the end, these pictures attempt to symbolize just that.

The junta is preserving it's role within the expectation of some type of "transitional phase" which caters to international demands as well as its own decoy defensive flagship they call the National Convention.