The ruthless military junta of Burma has been at it again. Whenever the international community piles pressure on the military rulers, they react quickly. Just a few days ago, the regime's generals ordered the International Committee of the Red Cross to close down its field offices outside Rangoon. In one fell stroke, all the good work that the ICRC had done on humanitarian grounds, including regular independent inspections and visits to political prisoners in Burma, ground to a halt.
The move followed the General Assembly Committee of the United Nations passing a resolution last week criticising Burma's worsening human rights record. The resolution specifically indicated that the junta had refused to investigate widespread human rights abuses such as summary executions, torture, forced labour, sexual violence and the recruitment of child soldiers. There are an estimated 50,000 child soldiers in Burma, which makes the country one of the world's worst offenders in child abuse and human rights violations.
The US government will submit a draft resolution on Burma to the UN Security Council in order to put further pressure on Burma to improve its human rights record and to reduce the threat to international peace and security. The American ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said that ongoing Burmese policies have contributed to instability in the Southeast Asian region. These problems include thousands of internally displaced people and refugees crossing Burma's international borders. Bolton said these issues had become a burden on countries that share borders with Burma.
Citing the Burmese government's poor performance and the far-reaching consequences of its actions and policies - especially in the burgeoning illicit narcotics trade and the trafficking of people - the council will be asked to take up the issue and act on it. There will be no threat to impose further sanctions on Burma, but a series of demands for the regime to improve its performance regarding these key issues.
UN Under-secretary General Ibrahim Gambari visited Burma recently and came back empty handed. Although he was allowed to meet with the detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during his time there, he did not make any progress on the five issues he raised with the junta: political prisoners, humanitarian access, a more inclusive political process, the need to work with the International Labour Organisation and the urgent need for a cessation of hostilities against ethnic minorities, especially in Kayin State.
Burma has been and will continue to be a pariah state for the foreseeable future. The reason is quite simple: the junta leaders have absolutely no desire to change because they don't need to. They want to, and intend to, hold on to power for as long as possible.
Over the past few years, Burma has been reacting to international pressure with new-found confidence - and not without good reason. This isolated nation has huge reserves of natural gas that are very much in demand as an important source of energy. Countries that are desperate to meet their energy requirements have to deal with the brutal dictators. This explains why the junta has not made any concessions regarding its empty promises to loosen its grip on power and restore democracy in Burma. Instead it continues to rule this tortured country with an iron fist. And no one appears to be able to do anything about it.
As a result of the world's continued appetite for energy, Burma will be able to pit energy-starved countries, including Thailand, against one another. During Thaksin's reign as prime minister, many deals were made to secure a steady energy supply for Thailand. But these deals were struck at the expense of other considerations, including Thailand's obligations as a responsible member of the international community.
It is true now, after the September 19 coup, that Thailand is in no position to lecture Burma on the promulgation of democracy. But the least Thailand can do is to do no more to exacerbate the situation in Burma. Thailand should continue to support the UN effort to break the political impasse inside Burma. Bangkok must not make separate, self-serving pacts with Rangoon as it has done in recent years, as this would undermine the growing international solidarity to pressure the junta through the UN.