|
|
The wanton killings by what is termed "government soldiers" of innocent villagers in Shan State is getting to be a "normal" event. This is because the international community has not done much, except to slap the junta on the wrist at what has become an annual farce.
The Shans in their naivete think that the "Burman" junta is getting away with rape, murder, plunder, torture, and ethnic cleansing behavior because the "world" is not yet aware of what is happening to them. They believe, very firmly, that once the "world" is aware of the horrors, the United Nations or some governments, or leaders, will be driven by moral outrage, a sense of justice, and will come to the assistance of the innocent victims.
The sad fact is that the "world", the so-called international community, knows quite well that murderers, rapists, thugs in uniform in Burma are out of control. The United Nations, the International Red Cross, international labor bodies, the American ambassador and other ambassadors and diplomats stationed in Rangoon -- all know what is going on. What is pathetic is that they cannot even feign ignorance as an excuse. But not a finger is being lifted. Is it not time that something is done? If the "international community" and the United Nations do not have the will or the decency to educate the Rangoon junta on what lawful governance means, the least they can do is to declare openly, very clearly, and formally that the victims of state-terror have the 'right to self-defence'. Surely, this is not too much to ask, is it Mr. General Secretary of the United Nations, Mr. President Clinton, and other "world" leaders?
It is also time that victims of state-terror do more than inform the UN and other international fora of their horrific plight, i.e., by telling sob stories. Victims of state-terror and their leaders should instead demand to know what the position of the international community regarding the 'right of the victims of state-terror to self-defence' is. A clear answer is owed the most vulnerable victims: the women, who are the prime targets of state-terror, and children, who suffer most. Also, it might be more sensible for humanitarian and pro-democracy NGOs and action groups to campaign for the 'right of the victims of state-terror to self-defence', than to express outrage and indignation -- deeply appreciated though that is. It is hoped that they will initiate and lead a sustained, focused international campaign to obtain from the international community, the UN, and from civilized governments, a clear, unambiguous recognition of the 'right of the victims of state-terror to self-defence'.
Or at least, compel these august bodies and "world" leaders to frankly admit that they do not have the will or the guts to help fellow human beings in dire distress. Without the recognition by the international community of the 'right of the victims of state-terror to self-defence', it is certain that agents of the state in Burma will continue their reign of terror.
Annual slaps on the wrist delivered by the UN and other "concerned" governments are, to be blunt, useless. They are looked upon by criminal states and their terroristic agents as nothing more than feeble jokes. What is there to deter them from engaging in ethnic cleansing action, murder, plunder, and rape? Killing villagers, raping helpless women, looting and plundering is for the junta in Burma, a "win-win" situation. All that remains for the victims is to tell sob stories, i.e., participate unwittingly in a phonography of state violence and terror. Moreover, victims are condemned as terrorists by the international community if they take up arms to resist. For them, it is a "lose-lose" situation.