Responsibilities to our international neighbours in Burma/Union of Myanmar!

When people think of Burma, they may recall the days of the British Raj when India and Burma were exulted to the general acclamation of ‘the Jewel in the Crown’ of Empress Victoria’s dominions. In 1886 the explorer Archibald Coquhoun wrote: Burma and the Burmans or The Best Unopened Market in the World. In real terms the book suggests that Burma could offer a revival to British commerce and industry. A revival impeded only by the despotic King of Burma. Lord Randolph Churchill saw the potential for British commerce and industry and on 1 January 1886 the British Government in India annexed Upper Burma.

Our allegiances with our old protectorates have long since diminished, as are the imperial ambitions that Britain once exploited with so much energy. The fiscal instability Britain faces today provides a distraction which can only exacerbate further the situation for the struggling people groups of Burma. In a time of economic uncertainty when Governments justly look inward, should we stop looking outward? When Middle Eastern conflicts drain our national expenditure, should international aid be cut? It depends on our view of the world. Helping ourselves first and everyone else last is both a sensible and logical conclusion? Christian morals, principles and ethics highlight that charity, help and aid are Godly lines which we should vigorously take at home and abroad.

The legacy of colonialism had a dramatic impact on Burma, and specifically the ethnic minorities. Education and Christianity has had a lasting effect; the Chin people group in the North West, a hill people, boast that 95% of their population are Christian. This medium still provides an important role in educational development and is the main avenue through which Chin men and women can hope to compete in the Union of Myanmar. But they face tough challenges as persecution and ethnic and racial prejudice dominates the one party political scene. Earlier this year I was able to record interviews with individuals within Burma and the testimony of one man, a village teacher, stood out from the rest. It makes for a harrowing read and is symbolic of the situation that ethnic minorities face.

One incident he described occurred in October 2000, when he was caught in the middle of an impossible situation between military forces and the CNA (Chin National Army); a rebel force operating in the region of his village. Both warned him to co-operate and demanded his support, which led to his torture and near execution: “They arrested me and the head of my village, my cousin, and put us in the Church, and they punched us, they hit us, they kick and they struck us with their guns. I still have the scars here and here (points to scars on face). Our noses were bleeding and our teeth, all were bleeding and it was like we were washing in the blood…we were hit and we were tortured and they make us not to be able to sit, not to be able to stand and they tie our whole bodies so, and they make us the football and the boxing box… in the morning, they tied us by our necks, with a very big rope and they aim at us here with guns (points to head) and they force us to dig for our burial ground.”

This innocent man really was stuck between a rock and hard place. Betraying the location of rebel forces would mean retribution on his family and not helping the Military meant he was to be executed. But on that fateful morning as he dug his own grave, his faith overcame when he prayed to God to provide him with an answer to the immediate situation. He was given a question to ask his interrogators which set in motion a series of delayed actions that helped to save his life and that of his cousin. The Burmese soldiers arrived at the CNA camp the day after they had moved to a different location and in the two weeks that intervened the Burmese commander got to know him so well that he decided he could not kill him and he was released to be reunited with his family. The whole story was fascinating but equally disturbing!

Internationally, Burma remains isolated; these incidents go on and for the most part go unreported. We need as a nation to be more aware of human rights abuses many face globally. We need to continue to support humanitarian aid, as well as to pressure international agencies to engage in dialogue with countries that are failing in countless ways. Ben Rogers, of Christian Solidarity Worldwide commented “…Burma as a whole gets very little attention and we all recognize that it needs to get more attention.

But when we do hear about Burma, we hear mostly about Aung San Suu Kyi and democracy movements. And we hear increasingly about the Karen and the IDP situation in eastern Burma. I am involved in highlighting both these issues, and they both need more attention. We still do not hear enough about the Karen, or about the political prisoners, but we almost never hear about the plight of the Chin and the Kachin.

I felt after my visits to the Chin border and to Kachin State that there was a real need to raise the profile and awareness about the Chin and Kachin.” The Chin should not remain a forgotten people, and during these times of economic uncertainty at home, we need to demonstrate a hardened resolve in supporting these important people groups who deserve our concern and support not least because of the loyalty they showed to the British during the Second World War.

In the latest report by International Crisis Group, ‘China’s Myanmar Dilemma’ challenging questions are being asked. While many believe that China is the key to pushing Myanmar toward political reform, its influence is overstated: “Both Chinese and international policies towards Myanmar deserve careful reassessment,” explains Donald Steinberg, Crisis Group’s Deputy President for Policy. “An effective international approach also requires a united front by regional actors as well as multilateral institutions such as ASEAN and the UN.”

The UK should use its privileged position in the international community and seek a continuation of foreign aid where necessary.