Tag: Burma

Aung Sang Suu Kyi reaches ten years in detention

30th October 2005


Image source: BBC News

Aung San Suu Kyi reached a total of ten years in detention last week. The regime keeps her in virtual solitary confinement, hoping the world will forget her, but campaigners around the world continue to call for her release, and demand United Nations Security Council intervention.

The Burma Campaign UK has recently published a new report, Too Many Years of Empty Words highlighting the failure of the United Nations to achieve democratic change in Burma. There are signs of change, the UK having shifted its position to support ‘any action’ by the Security Council to help restore democracy to Burma. Sadly, there appears to be no action of any shape or form on the immediate horizon; a state affairs decried by an Editorial in The Times newspaper last week (reproduced in full below if the link is broken).

Read More

The cost of doing business in Burma

21st December 2004

ucl_left_top.gifucl_center_top.gif
Image source: www.unocal.com

There is an interesting piece in The Economist this week, Forced labour and other customs (reproduced in full below if you don’t have a password), that will provide a fillip to those seeking to dissuade foreign investors from going into Burma. For some time now there have been reports of gross human rights abuses by the Burmese military forcing people to work on a gas pipeline, and now the US energy company, Unocal, confronted with a number of law suits, is settling out of court. Sadly, while pressure to pull out of Burma is producing some positive results, there is still plenty of support for the military junta, particularly within ASEAN. Indeed, Burma is scheduled to chair ASEAN in 2006 and while there has been some subtle pressure on the Burmese regime from neighbouring ASEAN governments, it hasn’t amounted to much so far. One can only live in hope that they will be embarrassed into doing something come 2006.

Read More

False dawn?

21st April 2004

Following on from press speculation a week or two ago, there was renewed optimism in some weekend press reports that Aung San Suu Kyi may be released from house arrest in order that she might participate in the National Convention to discuss a new constitution (scheduled to commence on May 17). Unfortunately, there are a number of obstacles that need to be negotiated before this can happen, and given the track record of the military junta in Burma, this optimism might prove to be unfounded.

Read More

A new chapter

28th July 2003

And so begins Chapter Three in my life. After a 15 year spell in the antipodes, the boy from Birmingham now finds himself in Singapore, at least for the foreseeable future.

Read More
12