No Thanks to Badawi

Aliran is relieved that the 18 pro-democracy activists who were arrested and detained on 9 August 1998 have been released to be deported out of Burma. Their release was made possible through the intense efforts of their families and friends, various NGOs, and the governments and embassies of Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, the United States, and Indonesia.

It is very significant that the Malaysian government and its embassy in Burma, in contrast to their counterparts, hardly played a role in obtaining the release of the three Malaysian nationals. In fact, Foreign Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi claimed that he found it “difficult to sympathise with Malaysians who go to other countries and consciously create trouble or break the laws there.”

For the Minister, Wisma Putra, and the Malaysian Embassy in Burma, the three Malaysians apparently went there to create trouble and broke Burmese laws - echoing the allegations of certain Burmese generals.

In contrast, the other governments whose nationals had also been detained strived from the start to secure the immediate release of the detainees.

Philippines President Estrada, for instance, when informed of the arrests, reportedly said, “Get the Filipinos out of jail.” The Philippines ambassador to Burma made this her priority.

Thai Foreign Minister Surin publicly adopted the position that the 18 had not done anything wrong by handing out goodwill messages and therefore should be released. The Australian and American governments openly supported the actions of the 18 and called for their release.

The Indonesian ambassador sent two requests, one personal and one formal, requesting the release of the detainees. Various arrangements were also undertaken including the use of his handphone to facilitate contact between the detainees and their families in Indonesia.

In contrast to the concern and urgency shown by other governments towards the plight of their respective nationals detained in Burma, Malaysian officials on the other hand were conspicuously subdued. They seemed to go along with statements made by the Burmese military regime. They seemed not to care about the trauma suffered by families and friends of the Malaysians detained. They were not seen to be pressing for the release of the Malaysian nationals.

Malaysians must be terribly disappointed with Badawi, who has previously been respected for his sober and mature outlook on various issues. To support such a brutal regime, which spilled the blood of its own citizens and grabbed power, is, to say the least, shameful and unbecoming of a country like Malaysia, which is striving to become a civil society.

The arrests also reveal the repressive nature of the Burmese regime and proves what a mistake it was to admit it into ASEAN.

P Ramakrishnan
President
15 August 1998