Common  Commode 

On the weekend of 1^st of Feb, a group of Wilsonites embarked on another journey packed into those lovely white vans. This time, we were headed towards the Nation's Capital attend a conference entitled "Burma, the South Africa of the 90's." A large contingent of Wilsonites was organised by the Free Burma Coalition here on campus and I think that even though we were perhaps from the smallest school, our group seemed to be the larger of any other school in attendance. 

The conference allowed us to hear from an impressive group of people who had first hand knowledge of the situation in Burma. It is one thing to have read "bad things are happening in Burma" in some pamphlet, it is quite another to actually hear from people who have lived through the oppression. For those of you who may not be up on the situation, here is the lowdown. Burma gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1948, led by Aung San. In 1962, a military junta took over the country and has been ruling ever since. In free elections held in 1990, Aung San Suu Kyi's (the daughter of Aung San) National League for Democracy won an overwhelming (80% according to a CIA report) majority in the People's Assembly. The assembly was never allowed to convene, however. According to Dr. Sein Win, Prime Minister of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (which, according to CIA, consists of individuals legitimately elected to Parliament but not recognized by the military regime) as he addressed the Free Burma group in D.C., members of the freely elected government here beaten, arrested, tortured, killed or fled into exile. The Boston Globe reports that, "The Burmese military officers known as the SLORC- the State Law and Order Restoration Council- have behaved like gangsters ever since they disregarded the 1990 election that gave Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy an overwhelming mandate to govern the county." President Clinton and newly selected Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (who visited Burma as UN ambassador) have denounced SLORC.

OK, so these guys are bad, so what does that have to do with any of us? What can we do to help? Why should we even bother? The Military Regime is very much hated by the people of Burma, and certainly does not hold popular support of the people, if the 1990 elections and the pro-democracy protests of 1988 (in which 10,000 were killed) are any indication. Military dictatorships like these only survive through the use of force and terror. This requires a well-armed military and this requires money. According to the Burmese people I spoke with and many other sources, the Burmese economy is dominated by SLORC and individual members of the military. Dr. Win told us that, "You cannot make investments in Burma without supporting drug money or military money, that is clear." Dr. Win referred to the connection between drug trafficking and the SLORC regime. A recent issue of the Nation has implicated SLORC as receiving a cut in the county's drug traffic (Burma is the world's largest producer of opium according to the CIA). The Burmese people I talked with wondered why the SLORC can manage to completely suppress the Pro-Democracy movement yet is completely ineffectual in stemming illicit drug trafficking. It seemed to be common knowledge that the SLORC receives money from drug sales. Besides the drug sales, SLORC receives a cut from companies that do business there. Perhaps the biggest money maker for the SLORC will be a natural gas pipeline being build by the French company Total in conjunction with the American company UNOCAL. This pipeline is a nightmare for the Burmese people. Not only does it give SLORC the money it needs to continue it's reign of terror, but it has caused thousands of people who live in the path of the pipeline to be forced off their lands. Worse than this, the SLORC is using forced (read "slave") labour in the construction of the roads and rails that will service the pipeline. Stories were told at the conference by Burmese of soldiers coming into villages and demanding a certain number of people from each family to work on these projects. According to the New Internationalist, 200,000 were forced to work on one project alone, about 300 workers dying in the process. The oil companies claim that the pipeline will bring jobs, but so far the military commanders have been pocketing money sent for workers. 

Some would say that we cannot make a difference, that boycotts do not work. The example of South Africa, however, is enough to show that these attitudes are less well thought out considerations as they are excuses for US companies to make billions at the expense and suffering of others. In an article concerning Burma, Desmond Tutu wrote that, " It is time to admit that the policy of constructive engagement with the SLORC is a failure, even as it failed to persuade the apartheid regime in South Africa….International pressure can change the situation in Burma, tough sanctions, not constructive engagement, finally brought…the dawn of a new era in my country." Remember that the sanctions against Apartheid started mainly with college activists. We do have the power to influence the large companies- just recently, PepsiCo bowed to pressure and has said that they will pull out of Burma altogether.(Washington Post) 

There is a saying in the Free Burma coalition, that when spiders unite, they can tie down a lion. We have tied up one lion, the giant corporation PepsiCo, but much more work needs to be done. I encourage people to become informed as to the situation in Burma (and other places where people are struggling for freedom). You can contact the campus Free Burma Coalition, who is planning events like films and guest speakers in the comming weeks or check out the many websites dedicated to Burma (like http://wicip.org/fbc).