Burma Update

Life sucks just as much as ever in Burma. So what to say to China, which holds lots of the cards there?

One grassroots group is calling for people to turn off their TVs rather than watch the Beijing Olympics this summer, in protest of the Chinese government’s support of the Burmese rulers. Instead of tuning in, they say, people can plan events to help end the human rights abuses.

I’m not so sure about the impact of that specific protest, but to me it makes sense to take some kind of action to sustain the story of how much the people there suffer under their weird government.

The generals there have said they’ll hold elections within two years, but almost nobody takes that promise seriously. Even if the country gets a chance to vote, Aung San Suu Kyi wouldn’t be allowed to run, because of a provision in a newly drafted constitution that seems written particularly for her. Her party won the last election, 18 years ago, but the results were never honored.

A couple weekends ago, the UN special envoy again saw his proposals rejected, including the suggestion that the government negotiate with Aung San Suu Kyi. Burma knows China will veto any harmful UN Security Council resolutions, and will continue to provide aid and weapons.

Here’s another scheme: “arrest yourself” for 24 hours around the time of Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday in mid-June. The idea is to bring attention to the dozen years she has spent under house arrest, organize some education and/or fundraising, and generally keep the pressure applied.

Change from within is unlikely in Burma, considering how quickly last September’s uprisings were squashed. The country’s neighbors, including the new Thai government, find that maintaining the status quo is in their economic interest. The prospect of swaying a giant like China feels pretty daunting, especially when you consider that things haven’t been going too great in Tibet either this past week.