Tue, Oct 09, 2007 page3

• Forums discuss Myanmar crisis

  • By Shih Hsiu-chuan / STAFF REPORTER
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  The principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries has been used by China as a pretext to continue benefiting from its relationship with Myanmar's military government, panelists said at a forum in Taipei yesterday.

  In recent weeks, pro-democracy activists in Myanmar have staged protests against the junta, which reacted by launching a violent crackdown.

  The international community should take the opportunity to bring China into line with international rules, said Liu Shih-chung (劉世忠), vice chairman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Research and Planning Committee.

  "Together with Darfur, Myanmar should be used to gauge whether China is able to act as a responsible player," Liu told a Taiwan Thinktank forum on "China's Role in the Myanmar Crisis."

  China has used its veto power in the UN Security Council to protect the Sudanese government against sanctions that might otherwise have been imposed as a result of US allegations of genocide in 2004.

  Under intense international pressure, China signed a UN resolution in July to send a force to Darfur.

  strategic

  "The reason China chose to sit by while Myanmar subjected its people to human rights abuses was to protect its strategic interests," said Lin Cheng-yi (林正義), a researcher of European and American Studies at Academia Sinica.

  Lin said China saw the dictatorships in Sudan, Myanmar and North Korea, among others, as a buffer between itself and democratic countries.

  Beijing hoped that the international community would be distracted by these regimes, rather than focus on abuses in China, Lin said. He added that Beijing reveled in being asked to act as an intermediary.

  Joyce Lin (林若雩), an associate professor of the Graduate Institute of Southeast Asia Studies at Tamkang University, told the forum that China's stance on such issues is determined by its energy needs.

  "Myanmar is a major focus of China's oversea oil exploration. Also, China dearly wants to build an overland oil pipeline from Myanmar to offset the risk posed by 80 percent of its oil being transported via the Strait of Malacca," she said.

  Lai I-chung (賴怡忠), director of the Democratic Progressive Party's department of international affairs, said that China had played a crucial role in the crackdown in Myanmar.

  "That China and Russia vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution [aimed at taking steps to address the dire human rights situation in Myanmar] encouraged Myanmar's junta to take an even tougher line towards pro-democracy activists," he said.

  Meanwhile, the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy also held a forum yesterday on the international reaction to the Myanmar crisis.

  indifferent

  During the forum, Sun Yo-Lien (孫友聯), a spokesman for Taiwan Aung San Suu Kyi Network, accused the government of being indifferent to Myanmar's plight.

  "Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning the junta on Sept 28, the Cabinet said on Wednesday that Taiwan can do nothing for Myanmar because we do not have diplomatic relations with either China or Myanmar," he said.

  Phoebe Yeh (葉非比), deputy director-general of the ministry's department of information and cultural affairs, denied that such a comment had been made, however.

  She said the ministry was adding a page to its Web site stating Taiwan's support for democracy in Myanmar.
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