Democratic Burmese Youths

MP backs calls for action over Burma

By Paddy McGuffin

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A cross party group of MPs - including Bradford Labour MP Marsha Singh - is calling the international community to act over atrocities in Burma.

Mr Singh and and the rest of the group visited Burmese refugees in camps on the Thai border earlier this year.

The Asian country has been ruled by a military dictatorship for 20 years. Rape, torture and forced labour by government forces are commonplace.

On his return to Bradford Mr Singh said: "Our group of MPs have published a report on international development and aid efforts to assist refugees from Burma.

"Many of these refugees are in make shift camps in Thailand. We visited these camps and saw conditions for ourselves."

Conservative MP John Bercow, writing in a national newspaper on Thursday, said: "The thugs and impostors who rule the roost in Burma practice some of the most egregious human rights abuses known to mankind."

Mr Singh said: "There is no doubt Burma has slipped off the international agenda.

"I give credit to John Bercow for his relentless work on this issue.

"I feel the UK must work with India, China and Russia to impose pressure on the military regime in Burma. Alone, British efforts would be ineffectual. We must work with other countries to address this issue.

"There is no doubt the Burmese regime is despotic, but the difficulty is getting monitors in on the ground. They have just expelled the international Red Cross.

"The refugee camps are a serious problem. The Thai government seems to see them as temporary but there are people who have been stuck there for 20 years. There is a lot more that can, and needs, to be done."

Ateeq Saddique, of the Bradford Immigration Advisory Service, has first hand experience of dealing with Burmese nationals fleeing the despotic regime.

He said: "Burma is run by a dictatorship responsible for horrific human rights abuses. They use any opportunity to crack down on the opposition and a lot of people are trying to flee the country, but these people are stuck in limbo. If they try and return it is seen as treason and they will be subject to torture.

"One of the problems is that it is hard to objectively verify conditions there and this is the flaw in our system. Most of the asylum seekers we have seen have been linked to opposition political parties and they or family members have been detained and ill-treated.

"The situation there is terrible but we do not get exposed to the full effects here as most of those who try and flee don't make it this far, they end up in squalid refugee camps."

Perhaps the most famous Burmese dissident is Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the Democratic Opposition movement, who has spent 12 years under house arrest. In 2003 up to 100 of her supporters were beaten to death when government forces attacked her convoy.

10:04am today

Posted by: Derek Tonkin, Guildford on 12:37pm today

Unfortunately, much of the pressure from these MPs is to switch a planned increase in humanitarian aid out of Burma proper to support the less than 5% of Burmese who can be reached at or across the border. Additional aid to the border is certainly needed, but too much could act as a magnet and bolster the Karen insurgency by bringing in more recruits. The MPs concerned might either be blissfully unaware of the implications of what they are suggesting, or might have hidden agendas, such as regime change by force. China, Russia and India are highly suspicious of western motives - China and India are immediate neighbours of Burma - but have shown that they are are willing to use their political clout, though not economic sanctions, to move the junta in the right direction. A good way to protect the Burmese inside the country would be to encourage tens of thousands of responsible, inquisitive and compassionate British travellers, particularly younger people, to flood into Burma, because most of the country is now open for travel without restriction or surveillance.

Unfortunately, much of the pressure from these MPs is to switch a planned increase in humanitarian aid out of Burma proper to support the less than 5% of Burmese who can be reached at or across the border. Additional aid to the border is certainly needed, but too much could act as a magnet and bolster the Karen insurgency by bringing in more recruits. The MPs concerned might either be blissfully unaware of the implications of what they are suggesting, or might have hidden agendas, such as regime change by force. China, Russia and India are highly suspicious of western motives - China and India are immediate neighbours of Burma - but have shown that they are are willing to use their political clout, though not economic sanctions, to move the junta in the right direction. A good way to protect the Burmese inside the country would be to encourage tens of thousands of responsible, inquisitive and compassionate British travellers, particularly younger people, to flood into Burma, because most of the country is now open for travel without restriction or surveillance.

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Posted by: Pete, Bradford on 2:19pm today

Here we go again. Marsh acts on what is happening in Burma. However it makes a change from Kashmir. What about Bradford issues Marsha. I wait daily to read of you doing something for your constituents. Must get rid of you Marsha at the next election. You're no good for Bradford.

Here we go again. Marsh acts on what is happening in Burma. However it makes a change from Kashmir. What about Bradford issues Marsha. I wait daily to read of you doing something for your constituents. Must get rid of you Marsha at the next election. You're no good for Bradford.

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