Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-11-17-Speech-4-203"
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"en.20051117.23.4-203"2
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".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I had the opportunity of leading the European Parliament’s delegation responsible for observing the work of the 26th ASEAN interparliamentary Assembly Meeting in September in Vientiane, Laos. I was able to observe on the ground the efforts made by Laos and by other countries in the region to improve their mode of governance. The European Union supports, moreover, the efforts made by these countries, and work must continue along these lines.
Burma, for its part, is making no effort whatsoever in terms of establishing democratic rule. The repression suffered by, in particular, Mrs Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner, and by her party’s supporters, requires no further mention. This repressive situation is one glaring example proving the lack of democracy in Burma. Let us not forget that the party in power took the country’s helm illicitly. It seems appropriate to me to state a few facts illustrating the tragic situation of this country and its people.
Allow me to act as spokesman in this Chamber for Reporters without Borders and bring up the case of Win Tin, a 75-year-old journalist, who is in a critical state of health and who is still in prison when he ought to have been released for good behaviour. The list of oppressed people is obviously a very long one and, despite the 250 releases granted a few months ago – a move that should be welcomed – there remain around 1000 political prisoners.
For over ten years, the State Law and Order Restoration Council, which is nothing more than a military junta, has controlled the various aspects of the country’s political and economic life. Human rights are completely lost sight of, access to education has become a privilege reserved for a tiny sector of society and freedom of expression is non-existent to the point where foreign journalists are put in prison. Any form of dissidence is forbidden. Consequently, members of the resistance, who are still active, are arrested in order to prevent them from undermining the ruling power. The situation is all the more serious because this country, which has a large number of ethnic groups, does not respect cultural diversity at all. Some ethnic groups are, moreover, enslaved.
Despite these unmistakeable horrors, certain countries continue to trade with Burma. As a Member of the European Parliament, I call for a firmer stance to be adopted in the face of this unacceptable situation, as the sanctions that have been taken are too weak. In order to bring about some change in the current situation, I believe that it is vital to prevent trade in strategic sectors currently in the hands of the generals. It would be worthwhile to call on the commercial and industrial businesses established in Burma to set an example, so that Burma really develops into a democratic country. That is why I, of course, unreservedly support the resolution tabled by the six political groups."@en1
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