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RIGHTS-BURMA: Nobel Laureates Appeal to U.N.

Haider Rizvi

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 20 2008 (IPS) - Calls for an economic and military blockade of Burma are on the rise as diplomatic efforts have largely failed to prod that country’s military rulers towards democratic reforms.

"[We] appeal to the members of the U.N. Security Council to take action quickly on measures that will prevent the sale of arms to the Burmese military," said Desmond Tutu, South Africa’s Nobel peace prizing winning Archbishop.

In a statement signed by eight other Nobel laureates Tuesday, Archbishop Tutu also called for the world community to place a ban on banking transactions – targeting Burmese leaders, as well as private entities that support their trade in weapons.

"The U.N. Security Council imposed arms embargoes on apartheid South Africa after the Sharpeville Massacre and Soweto Uprising," said Tutu. "Now it is time for the U.N. and individual countries to immediately impose embargoes after the Saffron massacre."

The Saffron massacre refers to the killing of unarmed protesters in Sep. 2007 when monks and other opposition activists staged anti-government demonstrations in Burma. During those demonstrations, more than 30 people died.

Since then, the military regime in Burma has been under international pressure to make democratic reforms. Following the protests, the Security Council issued a presidential statement calling for the military regime to hold talks with the opposition to "achieve an inclusive national reconciliation."

But such calls have fallen on deaf ears as military generals have refused to release political prisoners – including Aung San Suu Kyi, opposition leader, pro-democracy activist and Nobel Prize laureate.

The Noble laureates demand for sanctions comes a day after U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari held talks with top officials in an attempt to intensify diplomatic pressure on the Burmese generals to pledge changes.

China – which is an important trading partner and arms provider for the military regime in Burma – does not support sanctions and has repeatedly emphasised the need to address the issue by means of dialogue.

In response to mounting international pressure for democratic change, the Burmese regime last week announced plans to hold a referendum on a new constitution in May and general elections in 2010.

However, both the opposition and its supporters abroad have rejected the government’s move.

"The election promised by the military regime is a complete sham," said Tutu in support of the opposition. Critics argue that such plans will not be able to create any positive results because they do not include input from the from Suu Kyi’s party – National League for Democracy.

Suu Kyi won general elections in 1990 but was not allowed by the military to take power.

The opposition says hundreds of Buddhist monks and activists are still locked up, and that hundreds of thousands of villagers in eastern Burma have become homeless as a result of military action.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to mount pressure on the Burmese military to end political repression, some rights advocacy groups in the West are targeting one of Burma’s prime products for a worldwide boycott.

"Sales of rubies and jade help bankroll Burma&#39s repressive military," said Arvind Ganesan of advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW), in a recent statement calling for jewellers to boycott Burmese gem products.

"Burma&#39s generals are counting on gem sales to help pay for their abusive rule," Ganesan added. "They deserve to be disappointed."

Ganesan and others are trying to sway consumers against buying anything from gem merchants who refuse to identify the country of origin of their jewels in writing.

In a statement, HRW said retailers should require their suppliers to identify the country of origin on any invoices and to guarantee that gemstones were not mined in Burma.

Jewellers view Burma’s ruby as one of the finest in the world. Currently, its share in the total volume of trade in the international market is reported to be around 90 percent. The country also dominates the world market in the export of jade.

Official figures indicate Burma earned nearly 300 million dollars last year from sales of its gem stone products. Activists say they wonder if that amount would ever be spent to improve living standards of miners.

"Gem mines are ruled with an iron hand by military authorities and mining companies," according to HRW, which describes the working conditions at Burma’s ruby and jade mines as "deplorable."

In a statement, the rights group accused the army of abusing gem stone miners, many of whom are suffering from HIV/AIDS and other deadly diseases due to poor working conditions. HRW research shows that many of those employed at the mines are children.

Analysts say the boycott campaign may not cause an immediate change in the political behaviour of the military generals, but it will certainly force them to rethink how long they can afford to defy international calls for just and democratic rule.

In addition to the activists’ call for a boycott, the military regime in Burma is already facing considerable trade restrictions from governments of some of the world’s leading economies.

Recently, the European Union (EU) declared it was not going to buy certain products from Burma – including many types of gems. The U.S. has already taken similar steps.

HRW says many jewellers in the Western market have responded positively to its call. World famous brand names – including Tiffany & Co. and Leber Jewelers – are already boycotting gems from Burma.

In October, the Jewellers of America, an industry association, also took a similar position by calling on its 11,000 members to stop buying Burmese gems as a gesture of protest against the country’s military rule.

HRW researchers anticipate a downward spiral in jade and ruby prices in the West as a result of the boycott by retailers and buyers. However, they have no doubt that prices will remain stable in China, where demand for jade is particularly high.

In addition to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, other Noble laureates who signed Tuesday’s appeal included Tibet’s Dalai Lama, Shrin Ebadi of Iran, Adolofo Perez Esquivel of Argentina, Mairead Maguire of Northern Ireland, Rigoberta Menchu Tum of Guatemala, Elie Wiesel (a holocaust survivor), Betty Williams and Jody Williams.