Should We Bomb Burma's Military Junta first?
May 11th 2008 05:47
Our Aid money at work? Indo hi tech soldier.
Oz is pledging $25 million bucks to Myanmar, for aid relief for its poor storm battered people. In principle I say, good on us, and we should do more besides this, to help them. However, how do we monitor where the money goes, and the actual physical aid, like foodstufffs?
Oh, I know, the UN makes sure the right people get it....or does it? Anyone spoken to a person from Africa recently, that has come from, a junta ruled country, needing assistance from one of the many aid and disaster organizations? They usually tell you the junta/government keeps it all for themselves, hands out tsome to their supporters, and sells the rest.
What about Aceh?
Yes, we have seen improvement there, however, 'Honest John' Howard gave the Indonesian Government ONE BILLION DOLLARS, added to the money Aussies gave out of their own pockets; I gave what I could afford, not much, but it all adds up, as they say.
But just WHAT does it ALL actually add up to? Howard gave our money to assist Indonesians affected by the tsunami, WITHOUT any strings attached.
This means, the Indonesian Government could spend the money on whatever it liked...
Anyone see my post on the Indonesian military build up awhile back?
While I readily admit there is no proof weaponry has been bought with our tsunami money, equally, there is no proof that all the money went where it was supposed to go, that is, the suffering people and rebuilding of infrastructure. Also, did everyone equally get assistance, or just the military sympathisers?
Remember, Aceh was the area the Indo military had been actively involved in suppressing dissent.
So, now the Myanmar (Burmese) Government, which has so far refused visas and flight access for a major assistance programme to be coordinated, and has taken all the relief food and goods delivered so far, and kept it, so they can hand it to their supporters first (one suspects) and then, maybe, hand out a small part of it to a selected group, while photographers are present!!
We are letting this military junta get away with this, we are allowing them to turn a natural disaster, which they did NOT warn their people about, into a weapon to use upon the people it already suppresses.
Some say they did this to punish all those they suspect of supporting the recent monk uprising, and also, to make themesleves look like they, the military junta, are the ones giving aid, instead of admitting it comes from Western countries.
It is an enormously difficult area, international aid, particularly when the donor organizations have to tread carefully between, not just physical landmines, but social and political 'landmines' also.
If the Mynamar Junta is suspicious that the West is going to try and use the situation to invade and/or destabilize their power base, to overthrow them, then what are we to gain, actually, by NOT doing just that??
Our full assistance is being knobbled by junta suspicion anyway, so the suffering suffer more while diplomacy is exhausted, however, if we went in there and took out the junta rulers, we would achieve two positive things; get assistance where it is needed more quickly, and rid this poor suppressed nation of its evil, vampiritic and despotic military rulers.
What do you think?
Should aid, in these circumstances, be delivered after regime change is effected?
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