Blood-stained saffron.Byline: The Register-Guard The window of opportunity is fast closing on the Saffron Revolution. Indeed, it may already have slammed shut. In defiance of the ruthless junta that has ruled, raped and looted Myanmar for decades, hundreds of thousands have risked everything - their homes, their freedom, their very lives - to demand democracy. Now, the generals appear to have crushed the mass movement, just as they did in 1988 when the junta put down a student-led protest that ended with thousands dead. Once again, the nations of the world have failed to stop Myanmar's vicious regime from imprisoning, beating and murdering demonstrators, including the courageous monks who have led the protests. This time, no world leader can credibly plead ignorance, as images and reports of the protests and clashes with security troops moved at the speed of light over the Internet and cell phones until the government put a chokehold on communications. The crackdown occurred at the same time the organization that should have intervened, the United Nations, was ceremoniously cer·e·mo·ni·ous adj. 1. Strictly observant of or devoted to ceremony, ritual, or etiquette; punctilious: "borne on silvery trays by ceremonious world-weary waiters" Financial Times. opening the 62nd General Assembly in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. . Yet the 15-member Security Council dithered away an emergency session on Myanmar, with China and Russia blocking international sanctions International sanctions are actions taken by countries against others for political reasons, either unilaterally or multilaterally. There are three types of sanctions.
In Washington, President Bush announced new U.S. sanctions, even though years of Western sanctions and demands to free imprisoned im·pris·on tr.v. im·pris·oned, im·pris·on·ing, im·pris·ons To put in or as if in prison; confine. [Middle English emprisonen, from Old French emprisoner : en- opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi (oung sän s  chē), 1945–, Burmese political leader. , have only tightened the
junta's grip on power.
Sanctions have no influence on Myanmar's reclusive re·clu·sive adj. 1. Seeking or preferring seclusion or isolation. 2. Providing seclusion: a reclusive hut. generals because the country's neighbors have eagerly jumped in to fill the trade void. India, Thailand and other members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations crave Myanmar's exports, particularly its abundant natural resources, including oil, natural gas, minerals and timber. But it's China that is Myanmar's chief commercial partner and diplomatic protector. China needs Myanmar's gas and oil to fuel its economy, and it also needs access to the Indian Ocean Indian Ocean, third largest ocean, c.28,350,000 sq mi (73,427,000 sq km), extending from S Asia to Antarctica and from E Africa to SE Australia; it is c.4,000 mi (6,400 km) wide at the equator. It constitutes about 20% of the world's total ocean area. for strategic purposes. Yet China also offers the best hope for change in Myanmar. It was only at the urging of Beijing that the junta agreed to allow this week's visit by a special U.N. envoy. China has two compelling reasons to exercise its powerful influence on Myanmar. The first is China's desire for border security. Myanmar's crushing poverty and oppression already have sent millions of refugees - and with them, HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and narcotics narcotics n. 1) techinically, drugs which dull the senses. 2) a popular generic term for drugs which cannot be legally possessed, sold, or transported except for medicinal uses for which a physician or dentist's prescription is required. - streaming across its borders. The second is next year's Olympic games in Beijing, which China cannot afford to be tarnished with Tianamen-style massacre in Myanmar. International protests about China's support for Sudan recently prompted China to pressure Khartoum to agree to admit a U.N. peacekeeping force. Surely, similar pressure can now persuade China to stop the killing in Myanmar. |
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