a tribute to the courage of the people in Burma fighting for freedom and democracy, as well as to the people around the world who have rallied to their cause

music by Stevie Wonder, “Free”

“China’s unilateral foreign policy on Burma has completely paralyzed the United Nations Security Council, and as a result the Council has been unable to act, just as it acted far too late in Rwanda and Darfur. China’s unilateralism is undermining responsible conflict resolution and the Secretary General himself,” said Aung Din, policy director of US Campaign for Burma.

For 15 years human rights advocates have hoped that by ’speaking softly’ China would be convinced to play a constructive role in national reconciliation in Burma, as called for by consecutive UN General Assembly resolutions. Specifically the UN is calling for “trip-partite” talks in Burma between the military regime, Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party the National League for Democracy, and the country’s ethnic minorities. However, China has not responded to entreaties, instead stating simply that Burma is an “internal affair”.

Human rights advocates believe that China is in a unique position, possessing the leverage to bring Burma’s military regime to the dialogue table. China is the Burmese military regime’s single most important ally, supplying billions in weapons, aid, and trade, while shielding the regime from international action by the UN Security Council. In January 2007 China vetoed a peaceful UN Security Council resolution that would have empowered the UN Secretary General in his negotiations with the Burmese military regime. Without China’s backing, the Security Counci has remained paralyzed.

China’s position on Burma is coming into greater focus as the 2008 Olympics will be launched on August 8th, the anniversary of the military crackdown in Burma that resulted in the death up to 10,000 demonstrators in 1988.

Campaigners are planning a year-long effort to expose how “China is responsible for keeping Burma’s military regime in power,” added Aung Din.

China also appears to be undermining its own neighbors on Burma. Over the past 3 years, Filippino Foreign Ministers Alberto Romulo, Malaysian foreign minister Syed Hamid, and Indonesian former foreign minister Ali Alatas have all traveled to Burma to seek the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the world’s only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient. China declined to back any of the missions, while providing diplomatic, financial, and military aid to the regime.

Burma is ruled by one of the world’s most brutal military regimes, which has destroyed 3,000 villages in the eastern section of the country, forcing over 1.5 million people to flee their homes. The Associated Press has compared the military regime’s attacks on civilians in eastern Burma to the tactics of the Sudanese government in Darfur, labeling eastern Burma “Southeast Asia’s Darfur”. The regime has also recruited 70,000 child soldiers, far more than any other country in the world. Many campaigners believe Burma is the most serious crisis in the world that has never been addressed by the Security Council.

Duration : 0:4:11