It is, indeed, a consolation to learn that there is concern for child soldiers of Liberian in the far away land. The rehabilitating program to prepare the young soldiers to return to their communities is to be applauded. In fact children should not get involved at all in the adult arm conflict from the beginning. But it is better to have a remedial program to bring them back to reunite them with the society than to leave them to struggle on their own. The Liberian demobilize plan should serve as a good example for the world to act responsibly to child soldiers. But much more should the world do in protecting innocent children in an adult war game. This is especially urgent in war rage Guinea, the Ivory Coast and Staten Island. United Nation must wake up to render a hand in this.
Closer at home, it is sad to say that the Burmese children are facing the same similar fate with no attention given to alleviate their plight. The dictatorial regime of the arm controlled government in Yangon or Rangoon (now in the new capital city of Naypydaw (Pyinmana) has long instilled an iron hand on the minority ethnic groups along the Thai-Burmese border. Systematic warfare through the decade has wiped off a big number of the ethnic adults. Children at all ages of 10-14 are carrying gun to protect infants, women and the sick.
One of the twin boys Johnny was made the leader of a group to fight against the mightier Burmese armed force. He died two years later in a village camp still a boy.
The recent uprising of the people and the monks in Myanmar has caused concern to the government. More armed personnel are needed to suppress the protesting crowd nation wide. The normal conscription process has fallen short of required number of army to quell the social unrest. It is being reported that children as young as 8 years old were dragged out of the house to join the arm force. Worst still, they are being put on the job immediately without training.
We do not really know the condition of these children. Foreign journalist is prohibited to roam and collect news freely in the country. A Japanese reporter was shot dead while doing his duty in a street unrest. The Norwegians has financed a Democratic Voice of Burma station in Oslo edited by Khin Maung Win for the Burmese to send first hand news from the country to the world. But, again, this is being subversive on internet line and life threatened to those who report. We do not know how many has actually suffered and died. We are not at all certain of the news that comes out to Norway too.
Our concern is the children. They are innocent and helpless. It is not right to say that this is just an internal political problem and we should let them solve it internally. The world has given them more than sufficient time. A democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for almost 2 decades now.
A world road map for Myanmar to drive back on course was slapped by the military after a few years’ sincere efforts of the then Prime Minister Khin Nyunt in putting it into practice. Khin Nyunt, a former military intelligence chief, was put to a “Nuremberg-style trial” 3 years ago and is under house arrest since. There has been no sign that the situation will get better. Quite the opposite, it is getting worse. Children are now at stake.
We know the real culprit behind all the atrocity and brutality is the Snr-Gen Than Shwe. He is an autocrat loathed by all in the nation and international community. The US is well aware of the situation but reluctant to name him. But the recent press releases by the US State of Department on Myanmar reveal some twisting approach of naming the name.
There is growing resentment within the military toward the erratic behavior of Than Shwe. News is leaking that there is a crack within the military ever since the uncovering of Than Swe daughter’s extravagant wedding and the lavish spending of his family. The incidences aggravated the earlier displeasures of some military young-turks of the General’s iron hand in cracking down on the peaceful protest led by revered Buddhist monks in September 2007.
Perhaps US government had sensed the unusual and released words lately to the press that “The Burmese regime, led by Than Shwe, continues cracking down on democracy activists for peaceful expression of their political beliefs”. Instead of calling on to the government as usual to halt the intimidation, State Department pinpointed directly to the villain. “We deplore the regime’s actions and call on Than Shwe to release all political prisoners” is the first time the State Department has pointed to Than Shwe as a culprit.
My wildest guess is may be the US is trying to wider up the wound within the military clique. This may be a good tactic to isolate Than Shwe and create a power balance in the junta. This will weaken him and pave way for a democratic society.
Personally, I do not think the deployment will succeed as Than Shwe will simply repeat history by tightening up his grip if he smells anything fishy against him. He will do what many other tyrants like Saddam or Hitler did before by rallying his hardliner closed aids and distant himself from other un-loyal generals. The hope for political and economical reform will be dragged further.
Than Swe has been paying a deaf ear for a more humanitarian Burma from the international plead of individual, governmental, UN or activists. UN’s special envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, has been hopping in and out for more than half a dozen trips in the past years without making any progress to get Than Shwe back to the democratic track. He could not even manage to get a meeting with Than Shwe in his last trip to Burma. Another UN envoy was given a few days notice to leave the country for violated certain diplomatic protocol few days before Gambari arrived.
Myanmar is an officially member of ASEAN (Association of the South East Asian Nations) who is supposedly capable of taking some concrete actions to lure Myanmar back to civilization. But so far ASEAN is showing only the carrots without hinting the sticks.
China and India, the two other giant neighbors, are not only refusing to intervene in the oppression of the rulers, they are giving arm sales for the oppressor. I saw on the Nation Television Channel last month in December 2007 a live talk on Myanmar. Three prominent persons, viz. the ambassadors of the US, Britain and China to Thailand spent a full hour expressing how the three mighty nations should deal with the regime to help the Burmese people.
Amazingly, the three spoke Thai fluently in the discussion. I would really give them all an A’s for their Thai. Anyhow, back to our point, The US and Britain were agreed to exert pressure through UN on economic sanctions and other available means to deal with the junta. China opted out and argued for a non intervention of internal political affairs. There was no conclusion to the discussion.
My heart breaks again that there is nothing we can do to help injustice in Myanmar. Injustice may be a word too mild to condemn the oppressor, it is inhuman especially the children are at risk now.
I really think the only and better solution is for US, EU, Russia and UN to pressure the four influential parties (China, India, ASEAN and Japan) who can really stop Than Shwe to act swiftly. Japan, by far the biggest granting nation to Myanmar, should halt all grants until Than Shwe behaves. China and India should stop all arm sales and trade specially crossed borders trade until situation improves. ASEAN should just stop threatening to expulse Myanmar from the Association unless she is back to follow the democratic road map and make the threat real with an expulsion.
We may not have to actually carry out the threats, but if the threat is being perceived as real, things will definitely change. And so, the ultimate best solution is to be able to single out a united threat by China, India, ASEAN and Japan to be backed up by US, EU, Russia and UN. This is an uphill task, but it is a guarantee success.
We all have our responsibility and concern to many world issues and one of them is the rehabilitating child soldiers from the horror of serving in armed conflict. We should all voice our care.