Myanmar Rulers Lash Out At West, Foreign Media

Myanmar’s ruling military angrily accused Western powers and foreign media Thursday of inciting recent protests that were crushed by soldiers, and China urged the world to back UN mediation efforts to reconcile the junta and the pro-democracy movement.

The state-owned New Light of Myanmar newspaper dismissed the protesters, who are still being hunted down in raids across the impoverished country, as “stooges of foreign countries putting on a play written by their foreign masters.”

The paper signaled out “big powers” and radio stations–the British Broadcasting Corp., Voice of America and Radio Free Asia–as behind the demonstrations, which were violently put down Sept. 26-27 in clashes condemned by nations around the world.

The United States and other countries have pressed for wide international sanctions against Myanmar, formerly Burma, to pressure the junta to allow democratic reforms, but China on Thursday said only a more conciliatory approach would work.

“We believe that the situation there is relaxing and turning in a positive direction,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said. “The international community should help in a constructive way to help Myanmar to realize stability, reconciliation, democracy and development.”

The ruling council’s top leader, Senior Gen. Than Shwe, has offered to meet detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on condition she reject calls for sanctions, and her party–the National League for Democracy–also has called for dialogue.

The official press has made no mention of such talks, however, stressing instead that the regime was bent on following its own timetable to a so-called “roadmap to democracy,” which includes a draft constitution and referendum to be followed by elections at an unspecified date. Critics describe such a scenario as a sham to hoodwink world opinion and silence domestic opposition.

A series of groups have come out in recent days calling for moves against the regime.

Human Rights Watch, for instance, urged the UN Security Council to impose and enforce an arms embargo on the country. India, China, Russia, and other nations are supplying Myanmar with weapons that the military uses to commit human rights abuses and to bolster its power, the group said.

“It’s time for the Security Council to end all sales and transfers of arms to a government that uses repression and fear to hang onto power,” Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement issued Wednesday in New York.

Russia’s Interfax news agency reported that a delegation of the Myanmar air forces headed by Lieut. Gen. Myint Hlaing, chief of the air defense service, had arrived in Russia, one of Myanmar’s main arms suppliers.

The report, which did not say when the delegation arrived, quoted Russian Air Force spokesman Col. Alexander Drobyshevsky as saying that the Myanmar representatives would meet with the Russian Air Forces Command, other high-ranking military and defense industry officials, and visit air and space defense and research centers.

The Jewelers of America, meanwhile, sent letters to the US Congress to expand a ban on imports from Myanmar to include gemstones mined in that country, the group said Wednesday. Myanmar exports at least US$60 million (€42.41 million) a year worth of gems including rubies, sapphires, pearls, and jade.

The top US diplomat in Yangon said the international attention being showered on Myanmar will pressure its rulers to open the country.

“That the international community is paying more attention is hopeful,” Shari Villarosa told reporters in Honolulu on Wednesday. “Hopefully this will help mobilize pressure not only from the United States but from all the countries in the region.”

The streets in Yangon were peaceful Thursday, a religious holiday, but the crackdown on dissidents continued behind the scenes.

A Thailand-based exile group said a Myanmar opposition party member died during interrogation and seven activists were arrested in recent days. NLD spokesman Nyan Win said as of Wednesday, a total of 225 party members had been detained.

At the United Nations, Security Council members met for hours behind closed doors late Wednesday to discuss changes to a draft statement on the situation in Myanmar. The statement could be approved as early as Thursday.

Western nations are trying to find a consensus position acceptable to China and Russia, which have blocked previous resolutions on the grounds that Myanmar’s political unrest is an internal matter and not a threat to security in its region.

Troops crushed the protests by shooting at demonstrators on Sept. 26-27. The regime said 10 people were killed, but dissidents put the toll at up to 200 and say 6,000 people were detained, including thousands of monks who led the rallies.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Yes the outside MEDIA has to get involved. And YES agaist the Military Dictators. And Yes they should be doing a lot more, such as, DON’T go to China’s Olympics.YES group punishment. Democracy on a Global level is being kicked around, first by Islamic Fundamentaists,Friends of China, Social-dictatorship in South America, Chavez and Evo also friends of China, everywhere you turn, you will see Chinese Footprint, Russia friends of Islamic’s, Chavez and China. Drop the Olympics like a hot potatoe.