World governments vowed on Wednesday to hold Burma’s military rulers to account for a bloody crackdown on mass street protests, as the United Nations Security Council prepared to meet in emergency session and European Union officials began drawing up new sanctions.
But there were divisions over the effectiveness of punitive measures, with China refusing to put overt pressure on its neighbour and close ally and Australia questioning the effects of Western action.
International concern over the situation rose sharply after hospital and monastery sources in Burma’s biggest city, Yangon, said two monks and a civilian were killed were killed and aboit 100 injured on Wednesday as security forces fired on protesters, and used tear-gas and baton charges to disperse the crowds.
About 200 people were arrested — half of them Buddhist monks who have spearheaded the largest anti-government protests for two decades.
Some witnesses estimated 100 000 people took to the streets on Wednesday. ”They are marching down the streets, with the monks in the middle and ordinary people either side. They are shielding them, forming a human chain,” one witness said over almost deafening roars of anger at security forces.
As darkness fell, however, people dispersed ahead of a dusk-to-dawn curfew. The streets were almost deserted.
The White House said the reports of violence were ”very troubling”, with national security spokesperson Gordon Johndroe urging the junta to ”respect the human rights of the people … and to move to a peaceful transition to democracy”.
On Tuesday, President George Bush had announced tougher economic sanctions on the regime and its ”financial backers”.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said the UN Security Council would meet in emergency session later on Wednesday at the request of European members.
World is watching
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was among those pushing for the session, stressing that the ”whole world is now watching Burma”. He added that a UN envoy should be dispatched immediately to make the seriousness of the situation clear to the ”illegitimate and repressive” regime.
”The whole world is going to hold it to account,” Brown said. ”The age of impunity in neglecting and overriding human rights is over.”
In 1989, the military junta officially changed the English version of its name from Burma to Myanmar. Burmese opposition groups continue to use the name ”Burma” since they do not recognise the legitimacy of the ruling military government nor its authority to rename the country.
Rights groups called on the UN Security Council to impose its own arms embargo and to stop China and India providing weapons to the junta.
India limited itself to an expression of concern and said it was closely monitoring the situation. ”It is our hope that all sides will resolve their issues peacefully through dialogue,” the Foreign Ministry in Delhi said in a statement.
”India has always believed that Myanmar’s process of political reform and national reconciliation should be more inclusive and broad-based,” it added.
Sanctions
Meanwhile, the EU began drawing up fresh sanctions against the military regime, 375 members of whom are already banned from entering the EU. ”We could always add the names of people linked to the ongoing repression and who are not already on the lists,” a European diplomat said.
Experts said any new sanctions would have to be swiftly followed by vigorous international diplomacy to press the junta to bow to unprecedented public demands for freedom.
Singapore, which chairs the regional Asean bloc, said it was ”deeply concerned” by the reports of clashes and called for ”utmost restraint”.
Australia’s Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, said his country would not follow the US move in imposing economic sanctions because they ”would have absolutely no impact”.
Downer said China was the only country with a hope of convincing Burma’s rulers to speed up moves towards political reform. ”I don’t think what Western countries do is likely to lead to sudden changes of direction,” he added.
China and Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution in January urging Burma’s rulers to free all political detainees.
The New York-based watchdog Human Rights Watch echoed the calls for Burma’s allies, including China, Thailand, Russia and India, to urge the regime to address the non-violent protests.
Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said: ”If the military government is going to listen to anyone, it will be countries with which it has close military and economic ties. Now is the time for these countries to show that they care about the health and welfare of the Burmese people.”
Japan, a leading donor to Burma, was pressing the junta to ”take a calm response” to the protests, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said on Wednesday. — Sapa-AFP, Reuters