Burma’s Junta Untroubled by EU Sanctions
By David Cronin
BRUSSELS, Mar 11 (IPS) - Economic sanctions imposed by the European Union on Burma are unlikely to have any effect on its military junta, a former Singaporean diplomat has said.
After Burmese authorities used force to break up peaceful protests by Buddhist monks in the capital Rangoon in late 2007, EU governments decided to ban imports of gemstones, timber and metal from the country in October.
Barry Desker, Singapore’s chief negotiator in international trade talks during the 1990s, suggested the sanctions are primarily designed to salve the conscience of some European policymakers.
Speaking to IPS, he said the measures will probably not have any impact on the military, which has ruled Burma since overthrowing a civilian government in 1962. This was because EU leaders have decided to grandfather the most important investment" in the country, he added, referring to the contracts signed by the French energy giant Total to exploit the Yadana gasfield in southern Burma.
Although French president Nicholas Sarkozy announced in 2007 that there will be no fresh investments by companies from his country in Burma, contracts already signed by Total are unaffected by sanctions.
Desker, now dean of the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, claimed that the strong public stances on Burma of the EU and the United States were largely taken for what he described as "feel good" reasons. He also dubbed Burma an "easy target" for the West.
In terms of respect for human rights and democracy, "you would probably see Saudi Arabia, ranking lower than Myanmar," he said. "Yet nobody is taking action against Saudi Arabia."
The reality, he added, is that foreign countries, including Burma’s fellow members of the Association of South-east Asia Nations (ASEAN), have little influence as "the Myanmar leadership is suspicious of the world outside", yet has been able to cushion itself against external pressure.
"Foreign exchange reserves (in Burma) are the highest they have ever been since 1950," he said. "There is a myth that Myanmar has banked money in Singapore, Liechtenstein and Hong Kong. In reality, most of its money has been invested back in Myanmar. Once - in the 1980s - there was a shared poverty between the leadership and the rest of the population. But today, there is a gap emerging between a small elite and the rest of the population, which has become poorer and poorer and is on the lowest rung within South-East Asia."
Desker took part in a seminar here in Brussels on Monday, addressing the main challenges that ASEAN, which celebrated its fortieth anniversary in 2007, faces. The seminar was hosted by the European Policy Centre, a think tank based in the Belgian capital with the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.
Seamus Gillespie, head of the European Commission (EC)’s department for relations with South-East Asia, took issue with Desker’s claims that sanctions against Burma are proving ineffective. Gillespie said he would be "very surprised if the (Burmese) government is 100 percent insensitive" to international criticism. "I do feel that some message is getting through, even if it might not be with sufficient force at the moment to change things," he added.
Gillespie argued that punitive measures against Burma were warranted because of the continued arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy party won a huge majority in a 1990 election that the junta decided to annul.
On human rights, he said, the EU "often has different approaches to different situations".
"This allows questions to be raised about inconsistency of approach. But few countries have democratic elections held and then put the leader in prison and house arrest for many long years and brutally suppress their own religious people. This is something quite unique."
Still, he maintained that "sanctions are just one instrument in the toolkit of a more balanced policy".
"We are trying to engage with the authorities in Burma-Myanmar. This is not just a question of sanctions, though it may be that for some decision-makers sanctions may make them feel good,” he added.
The question of Burma overshadowed the most recent summit of ASEAN’s 10 leaders, held in Singapore in November.
During that meeting, the governments endorsed a charter designed to strengthen the body’s institutions. The charter will put its summits on a more formal footing and require each member state to send an ambassador to liaise with ASEAN headquarters, based in Jakarta.
Desker acknowledged that Burma’s acceptance of the charter, which contains a commitment to promoting human rights, will give "the region a credibility problem when seeking to address humanitarian concerns around the globe’’.
Although the European Commission does not give official development aid to the Burmese authorities, it approved a package of humanitarian assistance worth 15.5 million euros (24 million dollars) in 2006 aimed at meeting some of the population’s medical needs. Its move followed a report by the World Health Organisation that – in per capita terms – Burma has the third lowest rate of health expenditure in the world, after Congo and Burundi.
David Fouquet, director of the Asia-Europe Project in Brussels, said that such humanitarian aid is "very useful and appreciated". But Fouquet added: "Many people in ASEAN are not comfortable with the relationship with and the presence of Burma-Myanmar as it is now.”
In February, the Burmese authorities announced that a referendum on a new constitution will be held in May, paving the way for a general election in 2010. These steps will be part of what Burma calls a "roadmap to democracy", though the government’s critics have expressed doubts about whether opposition figures will be allowed contest the election.
Fouquet contended that there is a "lot to be done" in ensuring that the announcement leads to tangible reforms. "ASEAN should be more engaged in a positive way, assisting without becoming an accomplice to the roadmap to guided democracy," he said. "That would be extremely helpful." (END/IPSAP/0308)
