Regional pressure can change BurmaOctober 3, 2007
Australia can play a leading role in the Asia-Pacific region to encourage democracy.
HAVING been detained by the Burmese military regime for more than 11 of the past 18 years, Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi is a modern hero. While history has recorded the triumphs of resistance leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Xanana Gusmao, Suu Kyi's day has yet to come. Her achievements will depend, in part, on how Burma's neighbours respond to the present crisis.
Suu Kyi has challenged us all with her calling to "please use your liberty to promote ours". It is a plea Australia simply cannot ignore.
We have witnessed thousands of protesters flooding the streets of Rangoon, and after publication of these images, a growing chorus of international leaders is voicing its concern. There is now an opportunity for a co-ordinated regional response — with Australia playing a significant role — to press for lasting reform.
The international community's response must be driven by more than a strategic quest for stability in South-East Asia. It has a deep moral obligation to the 48 million Burmese who have too long suffered under a brutal dictatorship.
Many Burmese live not only in abject poverty but in constant fear; human rights abuses are committed by the state on a grand scale with thousands of children kidnapped to become child soldiers. Torture and sex slavery are used as political weapons.
Despite knowledge of these tragedies, countries that could have influence in Burma have sought to preserve their economic and strategic assets by propping up the regime. As the site of the world's 10th largest gas reserves, Burma has been the battleground for many leading energy companies, particularly those from India and China.
With oil contracts worth billions of dollars and oil pipeline construction projects planned, both India and China have resisted recent efforts by the United Nations and United States to increase pressure on the regime.
The Association of South-East Asian Nations has also been reluctant to interfere in the internal affairs of Burma, one of its members. But there are signs of movement among these key players.
Thrust into the pre-Olympic spotlight, China has played a constructive role in the visit by the United Nations' special envoy to Rangoon and there are reports it has established contact with exiled groups seeking a return to democracy in Burma.
In India, former defence minister George Fernandez has called on Delhi to reappraise its position, preferring that India use its leverage with the Burmese generals to stop the bloodshed.
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