Junta Is ‘Playing a Game’: PM in Exile

WASHINGTON — Noting that the Burmese military junta is “playing a game” with the international community as well as the United  Nations, “a frustrated and disappointed” Dr Sein Win, the prime minister of the Burmese government in exile, urged world leaders to send a “strong message” to the authoritarian Burmese rulers on Wednesday.

“We have to send a strong message. The military is playing a game,” Sein Win of the Washington-based National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma told The Irrawaddy.

Dr Sein Win, the prime minister of the Burmese government in exile. (Photo: VOA)

He said the junta is trying to mislead the international community by giving assurances that they are going to reform and hold a free and fair election. In reality, “they are doing nothing,” Sein Win said. “The UN and other major countries must send a strong signal about this.”

Deeply disappointed with the recent turn of events, especially with the visit by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon earlier this month, Sein Win said nothing has changed for the people of Burma.

“They are going to sentence Aung San Suu Kyi. If things do not change, there is no reason for opposing sanctions,” he said.

Sein Win said the assurance given by Snr-Gen Than Shwe that the 2010 elections would be free and fair should be taken with a pinch of salt. “It is like a bad joke. The international community has to understand this,” he said.

The prime minister in exile urged the international community not to accept or recognize the 2010 elections.

“They have no meaning. Under the new constitution, elected people would have no role and all the powers would be with the commander in chief,” he said, adding that the people of Burma would not accept this willingly.

The 2010 elections are connected with a constitution which is being imposed by the military, he said. Referring to the proposals Ban Ki-moon made to Than Shwe during his visit, Sein Win said that his view, progress would be most unlikely.

“It is quite frustrating. After so many years, people should know what is what,” he said.
“The only thing that we are seeing is that there is no result, no progress.”

Countries such as the United States, Britain, Japan and India should come forward to say that this is a meaningless constitution, he added.

Meanwhile, expressing disappointment over the Security Council meeting on Burma, Aung Din of the US Campaign for Burma said this should be the end of more than a 10-year mandate for the UN secretary-general’s good offices in Burma, which he described as a total failure.

“We are disappointed that Ban not only ignores the requests made by the NLD and ethnic nationalities to review and revise the constitution through a tripartite dialogue, but also endorses the regime's sham election, scheduled in 2010,” Aung Din told The Irrawaddy.

“Ban’s reluctance to call for the Security Council to take action on Burma will surely make the people of Burma suffer more and more, and it will help the regime to continue their crimes against humanity," he said.