GRAPE VINE
The people of Burma might appreciate some constructive engagement
source : The Nation
The report "Thailand reacts with anger to charge it
profits from Burma's refugees" [The Nation, May
11] is distressing.
The reaction was to an editorial in the Burma
junta's state-run newspaper New Light of
Myanmar. The editorial attacked Thailand's
refugee policy, saying Thailand was motivated not
by humanitarian principles but by a flourishing
black-market trade.
The Thai Foreign Ministry has aptly responded. It
said that the refugees' exodus was due to the
political and economic chaos in Burma. Due to
"humanitarian" and "international responsibilities"
Thailand extended succour to the homeless who
were mostly children, women and elderly. Those
two words, the Ministry said, might not be
understood by the New Light of Myanmar.
The newspaper in Burma is the ideological
mouthpiece of the junta and understands well it is
dedicated to give disinformation for the
consumption of its readers, serving vested
interests.
A report [The Nation, May 1] examined the plight of
migrant workers from Burma. The story that
Burma's labour is being exploited, underpaid and
hired and fired perhaps provided the junta with an
excuse to attack Thailand's refugee problems. Be
that as it may, the exploitation was done by
brokers and unscrupulous individuals. The Thai
government has nothing to do with that.
In the larger interest of the ongoing process of
democratisation that Thai society is now
undergoing, it may be advisable that the Thai
government's Labour Ministry look into the matter.
Thailand is a part of Asean and follows the
constructive engagement policy toward Burma.
The time has come that this engagement policy be
extended to engagement with the people of
Burma. The people are represented by opposition
groups who after all have got their mandate in the
1990 election. The refugee problem is not an
isolated issue. It has to be viewed in the larger
context of the overall Thai-Burma ties.
BK Senc
Bangkok