Burma needs international attention desperately and now that the United Nations is gradually shifting its focus towards the crisis-laden Asian nation, things are beginning to shape up for the better. The military junta in the nation that brutally suppressed the pro-democracy riots, but monks and people have decided not to yield.
The UN sent Ibrahim Gambari as its envoy last month in order to try and force peaceful negotiations with the military junta that has been in power since 1962. Although there was skepticism at the time, yet it appears that Mr. Gambari has been able to break the stalemate between two opposing parties.
The military junta, headed by General Than Shwe, has now relented under Mr. Gambari’s diplomatic pressure and has decided to employ the retired general Aung Kyi, now serving as deputy labor minister, as the liaise between the junta and the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The measure adopted by the military junta is not too big a concession when perceived against the backdrop of the broader picture. Miss San Su Kyi won the 1990 elections resoundingly with her National League for Democracy (NLD) party but the military regime refused to handover power. On the contrary, it simply detained the pro-democracy leader who has been under house arrest for the best part of the last 18 years.
Yet the fact that the military regime has somewhat yielded to international pressure is a cause for optimism to steal in. The demonstrations for democracy commenced in the middle of August and the Burmese monks led the proceedings thereafter. There are reports that these peaceful and brave monks have been brutally crushed and beaten yet their spirits remain resolute. Although it would naive to presume that democracy would be conceived in the Asian nation sometime soon, yet it’s not hard to conjecture that Burma is moving forward.
Image Source: Amnesty
Source: BBC
