Democratic Burmese Youths

Trip to Burma ill-considered

Outgoing Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin's recent trip to Burma to meet with top-level military figures in the ruling junta there was misguided at best, and wholly inappropriate at worst. Although Gen Sonthi retires from the military at the end of next month, there was no real need for him to go and ''assure'' the Burmese junta that Thailand's policies towards Burma would continue unchanged in his absence. Such high-level policy decisions are for the government to make, not an outgoing commander-in-chief of the Army.

Gen Sonthi met with the chairman of Burma's State Peace and Development Council, Senior General Than Shwe and Burmese army chief General Maung Aye in the new administrative capital of Naypyidaw during his two-day visit that began last Monday. It was one of a number of trips to neighbouring countries over recent weeks _ including Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore _ that seem to have gone under the radar of the local press.

But Gen Sonthi was not in Burma only as commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army; he was also representing Thailand as the chairman of the Council for National Security and architect of the current political set-up in Thailand. As such, Gen Sonthi's visit and cosy reception by the Burmese junta could send wrong signals to Asean and the rest of the international community. What outsiders will see are two military dictators of sorts shaking hands and smiling, while the people in their respective nations are struggling for freedom and democracy. That is not the image that we as a nation should be sending.

Despite recent political events at home and the Sept 19, 2006 coup, Thailand is not on a par with Burma in terms of repression and lack of democracy. But Gen Sonthi's pandering to the Burmese junta, particularly if he manages to get himself into politics next year, sends out an entirely wrong message not only to the world, but to the people of Burma as well.

The visit was also extremely inappropriate and damaging, considering recent developments in Burma where protests have erupted in various places around the country following shock price hikes for fuel. Burmese citizens last week, at great risk to their lives and liberty, tried to stand up to their repressive leadership by protesting against the price hikes that they say will make life even more impossible in the secretive state. Bus fares immediately doubled following the price hikes and from there, basic produce and other goods will also surely rise in tandem with the increased costs for state-controlled oil and gas.

Our neighbouring citizens risked their lives in a rare show of dissent against the military junta in Burma and many were ''arrested'' or attacked by state-sanctioned thugs in a country where law and order has all but disappeared. And did they get support or encouragement from their neighbours? No. All they saw was the de facto leader of one of their nearest neighbours getting along swimmingly with their repressive dictator.

Gen Sonthi's smiling pictures taken with the Senior Gen Than Shwe and other top figures in the Burmese junta will do nothing to end the repression that our Burmese neighbours have been struggling under for decades. Constructive dialogue and mutual engagement are clearly not working in Burma.

Thailand should stand with the other major forces in Asean and start placing stronger demands on Burma to move closer towards democracy _ not give the junta tacit approval for gross human rights abuses and continued oppression of its people.However, under Thailand's present leadership, any such calls would only be seen as hypocritical. Therefore, the best thing for the current leadership to do is remain quiet and wait for a democratically-elected government to make any promises to Burma if it so wishes. Until then, Gen Sonthi should put his passport away and stay at home and concentrate on other matters, such as the insurgency in the deep South, and leave the international politicking to others.