Demonstrators shout
slogans in support of the Rohingya Muslims in Burma during a protest outside
the United Nations’ offices in Sanaa, Yemen, last year. (Photo: Reuters)
William Boot
July 26, 2013
International human
rights groups are putting pressure on Western governments to re-apply
conditions for trade and investment with Burma in an effort to make President
Thein Sein’s government deal properly with continuing abuses in the country.
“Let’s ensure that
they talk human lives before they talk dollar signs,” urged an online petition
by the global advocacy group Avaaz ahead of Thein Sein’s visit to France and
England last week.
Meanwhile, in its
latest report on Burma made available to The Irrawaddy, the business risks
analysis company Maplecroft warns potential investors that the “near-total
absence of judicial independence and a weak rule of law foster a culture of
impunity in [Burma]” that poses a serious threat to business.
Avaaz says it
succeeded in pressuring France’s President Francois Hollande to publicly call
on Thein Sein to take action against ethnic cleansing and religious violence in
Burma during his visit to Paris on July 17.
Meaning “voice” in
several languages, Avaaz mustered an Internet petition of more than 1 million
signatories that it sent to both Hollande and Britain’s Prime Minister David
Cameron. The petition urged the leaders to demand that ethnic violence in Burma
be stopped “as a condition of improved trading relations.”
There have been
similar calls by Human Rights Watch, Fortify Rights International and Burma
Campaign UK, which has accused Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague of
“wearing rose-tinted glasses” in his view of Burma.
“You won’t hear
Prime Minister David Cameron talking about taking action on ethnic cleansing
going on in Burma. You won’t hear Foreign Secretary William Hague condemning
the widespread use of rape by the Burmese Army. … They talk up the positives,
but play down or don’t talk about many of the negatives,” Burma Campaign UK
said.
“To pressure the
government to return to a policy where they put human rights first, we are
launching a campaign to deliver as many rose-tinted glasses as possible to
Hague.”
Maplecroft, in its
latest report on Burma, said Thein Sein’s promises during his recent visit to
France and Britain on quelling ethnic violence “need to be viewed with caution,
given the objective of attracting investment.”
Recent actions by
the Burmese government “suggest an entrenchment of discriminatory practices,”
Maplecroft warned, citing widespread human rights abuses, including continued
land grabs, and endemic corruption as being serious risks to the international
reputation of large companies considering investment in Burma.
“[Aung San] Suu
Kyi’s collaboration with the government against communities whose land has been
taken, and her failure to speak out actively against the repression in [Arakan
State], also raises doubts over the sincerity of the recent announcements.
“Investors face
substantial reputational risks and should monitor the situation closely for
actual change and events, rather than political promises and claims,”
Maplecroft advises in its report.
Maplecroft outlines
three possible near-future scenarios in Burma, ranging from continuing reforms
and investment to a reversal of Thein Sein’s achievements due to a withdrawal
of military support. It says this latter possibility is unlikely.
“The continued
easing of sanctions is very likely to allow preferential access for imported
goods from [Burma]. However, the government’s failure to take action to prevent
the spread of sectarian violence will likely lead to a continued deterioration
of the security environment in the short term,” said Maplecroft.
“Companies willing
to accept a higher threshold of risk will continue to show interest in the
country, hoping to gain an early presence in an opening market. This is most
likely to occur within the retail and extractive sectors.
“On the other hand,
poor infrastructure and the risk of sectarian violence will remain problematic
for potential investment in value-added production projects.”
Matthew Smith,
executive director of Fortify Rights International, which has researched
conditions for displaced Muslims in Arakan State, accused foreign governments
of myopia in their praise of Thein Sein and the lifting of sanctions.
“Some members of
the international community—and of [Burma’s] own government—believe that
market-based solutions will ultimately prevail in [Arakan] State,” Smith told
Asia Times.
“The hope is that
Buddhist and Muslim communities will eventually peacefully integrate out of
economic necessity. However, as there are currently no indications that
authorities will permit displaced Rohingya to return home or grant them basic
human rights, this position is deeply out of touch with reality.”
Evidence that
international NGO pressure may be having some effect on Western governments
came to light this week with several reports that Thein Sein’s recent
disbandment of the Nasaka—a special border security force in Arakan State—was
motivated by plans by the US government to impose some form of sanctions on it.
Washington has been
petitioned by several NGOs, including the US Campaign for Burma, to act against
the Nasaka, which was accused of violence against minority Rohingya Muslims, as
well as corruption.
Graft remains
another significant concern for prospective investors, according to Maplecroft.
“Without an
independent and effective anti-corruption agency, a sudden influx of capital
could further undermine already weak anti-corruption efforts,” the consultancy
said in its report.
“Although
anti-corruption enforcement was not a key pre-requisite for the removal of
international sanctions, the [Burmese] government will come under pressure to
improve overall institutional capacity, in light of prospects of increased
trade with Western businesses.”
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