Mick Hartley

Vaclav Havel and Desmond Tutu have written an introduction to a report on Burma, urging the UN Security Council to debate the future of the military regime as a threat to regional peace:

The former Czech president and former archbishop of Cape Town, prominent in the struggle for freedom in their countries, became interested because of the imprisonment of fellow laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, the democracy leader who won elections in 1990. They say they are worried by the combination of dictatorship, civil war, the overflow of refugees, the Aids epidemic and drug production in the Asian state.

“We strongly urge the Security Council to take up the situation of Burma,” they wrote in a foreword. “Preserving peace, security and stability in the region and the world – as well as achieving national reconciliation in Burma – requires nothing less.”

The military dictatorship in Burma could prove a test case for the UN’s new doctrine of intervention to protect human rights agreed at a summit last week, though many dispute whether the situation is grave enough to fall under its remit. […]

According to the US Drug Enforcement Agency, Burma is the world’s second biggest exporter of opiates. It also manufactures amphetamines and has not co-operated with international attempts to combat money laundering.

The junta has powerful allies in China and India, which have blocked US attempts to bring Burma before the UN. But some observers say China is increasingly worried about the trafficking of drugs from Burma.