Editorial

As world leaders took it in turns to address the United Nations General Assembly, a tragic situation was unfolding in Burma - or Myanmar - and things are now escalating fast. Emergency situations demand urgent and concerted efforts by the world community but, alas, the United Nations has been reduced to a little more than a talking shop.

It is less than 19 years since the military junta in Burma suppressed in an especially-bloody manner the protests of thousands of its citizens, leaving an estimated 3,000 people dead. It was by any standards a massacre.

Since that time and two years after the general election held in that country in 1990, the military dictatorship in Burma has treated the idea of democracy in contempt and held the democratically-elected leader of the National League for Democracy under house arrest and worse.

If Nelson Mandela is everybody's hero, there is no reason why Augn San Suu Kyi should not be regarded as the world's heroine. The democratic world should be agitating in her favour - as it has not done in any meaningful manner over the past decade - and in favour of the Buddhist monks who are even now leading protests against the junta.

The monks are worried not only about democracy but with high inflation and steep rises in process, notably fuel and this in a country where the average wage had been quoted at one dollar a day! As the crackdown tightened throughout the week, Buddhist monasteries were ransacked and 200 monks were reported to be arrested. Fewer of them were on the streets but the civilian protesters kept up the pressure on the government.

The number of dead and wounded seems to be much higher than officially reported.

US President George W. Bush has tried to rally the UN against the dictatorship and announced he has increased his country's sanctions against Burma. Others have been called to follow suit. There seems to be a general consensus that the only power that can exercise pressure on the military rulers is China, which, so far at least, has not impressed the rest of the world.

There are reasons for this reticence, not least the fact that Burma offers China a naval presence in the Indian ocean. China needs what it has for long regarded as a stable government in Burma; and human rights, let us not forget, have never been its greatest concern. So far it has expressed concern, not for human rights, but for stability.

President Bush attempted to reach out to China to exert its influence on Burma, in the process signalling that the new US sanctions will not be enough to stop the fierce crackdown on protesters. Mr Bush met Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and asked Beijing "to help bring a peaceful transition to democracy in Burma", according to the White House.

The leaders in Beijing must use their leverage on the State Peace and Development Council, the euphemism for the junta in Burma. Should they fail to do this, then pressure should be applied for them to re-think or regret it.

Sadly, it is not only China that needs to be addressed. The European Union has itself been strong on condemnation but weak, so far, in taking effective measures. This is due, in part, to French dilatoriness, which is itself due to its considerable business interest in Burma. But can they not realise that turmoil - especially of the sort and level now experienced in Burma - does not make for good business?