Burma's ruling military junta is definitely feeling some pressure from Canada's economic and trade sanctions, while foreign investments are stalling the restoration of democracy in the country, says Liberal MP Larry Bagnell.
Just back after a week-long fact-finding mission to the Thai-Burmese border, Bagnell, chair of Parliamentary Friends of Burma (PFOB) says the Burmese people want Canada to continue with sanctions.
"Burmese resistance leaders are very happy with the sanctions," he said.
"There's a good chance because of the instability put on Burma" that some Chinese and Singaporean investments in the country have slowed down, says Bagnell.
But he warns the situation is much worse than the world knows because rural and ethnic atrocities don't get world media attention.
While Aung San Suu Kyi, National League for Democracy leader who was made an honourary citizen of Canada last year, remains under house arrest, the main obstacle to restoring democracy in Burma may lie externally: foreign investments propping up the military junta.
Foreign money is funding planned trans-national pipelines and huge dams on the Salween and other rivers, providing a windfall for the dictatorship. This allows for the purchase of more weapons "to further oppress the people, and lead to massive displacements, forced labour, and other human rights abuses," Bagnell said in a news release.
The release made it clear that contrary to the international community's belief that the worst may be over in Burma, "atrocities in the ethnic states including rape, forced displacement, forced labour and extrajudicial killings are going on daily."
Tin Maung Htoo, executive director of Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB) says it is the first time in about a decade that a Canadian politician has visited the region. He agrees with Bagnell's take on the situation.
"There's no sign of any progress in the political front."
In anticipation of an upcoming visit to Burma by Ibrahim Gambri, the UN Secretary-General's special envoy, representatives of the military junta did meet with Aung San Suu Kyi, but that was "just a political game to diffuse the situation," says Maung Htoo.
"We don't know the content of their talks."
The crisis in Burma escalated last September with the brutal crackdown of thousands of pro-democracy activists that included a large number of Buddhist monks. Many were beaten, tortured and jailed. It is estimated that hundreds were killed.
"I did get a sense that some prisoners were released but not necessarily out of goodwill, they had become a burden…no one knows how many are missing or where they are," says Bagnell.
Maung Htoo says that while some activists held in city detention centers may have been released, many have gone into hiding and there's virtually no change to the oppression of people in rural areas.
While the international community and the UN sent a Security Council Presidential letter condemning the Burmese regime last fall, Canada imposed the strongest possible economic/trade and diplomatic sanctions yet on the Burmese military dictatorship in December.
Maxime Bernier, Minister of Foreign Affairs said at the time that Canada's economic sanctions against Burma are the toughest in the world.
"We believe that sanctions are the means by which we can best exert pressure on the military junta," he said.
With the exception of export of goods for humanitarian reasons to Burma, there is currently a ban on all exports and imports between Canada and Burma. The assets of Burmese nationals in Canada are frozen and there's a prohibition on Canadian financial services to and from Burma.
In addition, there's a prohibition on ships and aircraft docking and landing rights in Canada and Burma. There will also be no export of technical data and a ban on new investments.
While the total trade between Canada and Burma has fallen from an estimated $47 million in 2002 to just $8.5 million last year, there are still approximately seventeen companies investing or doing business directly or indirectly in Burma, says Maung Htoo.
"We are quite satisfied with the Canadian government's sanctions but there are lots of loopholes and the sanctions don't impact on existing investments which are still extensive."
CFOB and Foreign Affairs websites list many Canadian companies still doing business in Burma, but a lesser known fact is investments of Canadian Pension Plan funds in non-Canadian companies in Burma and endowment funds from Canadian universities.
"The government should do something about this," says Maung Htoo.
"We have been lobbying the government to remove these investments too," says Bagnell, adding that Ivanhoe Mining operations have shut down in Burma.
Bagnell says the Burmese people want UN efforts to intensify to enable a dialogue between the junta and Aung San Suu Kyi. The Burmese Opposition is also looking for "much more concrete support from ASEAN and nations of the region."
He says he discovered a lot on his trip "because I could talk to the people on the ground and find out exactly where things stood by asking different groups the same questions." The consistency mattered, and he is more clear and confident about the course of action that should be taken, he says.
As for neighboring countries, Bagnell says India is an example of where a lot of NGOs are supportive of pro-democracy groups in Burma and that grassroots pressure on the Indian government will be effective.
As word on the atrocities gets out in the international media, China, which supports the military junta, will also face international embarrassment and pressure, he says.
"I will be convening a meeting of the PFOB when Parliament returns, to discuss the various suggestions by the Burmese people and their organizations as to how we can do more to help this tragic situation."
An entire generation of youth in Burma is now passionately engaged in opposing their unelected military junta and that is very inspiring, adds Bagnell.
PFOB is not a Parliamentary committee but a non-partisan, multiparty group of 35 members including Senators and MPs (and associate members who need to apply or be invited to become members) with a mandate to support the Burmese democratic movement.
Canadian Friends of Burma is federally incorporated, non-profit organization working for democracy and human rights in Burma since 1991.
Contact info:
Suite 206, 145 Spruce St., Ottawa, ON K1R 6P1
Tel: 613.237.8056; Cell: 613.297.6835; Fax: 613.563.0017
Email: cfob@cfob.org; Website: www.cfob.org
