BurmaNet News, August 29, 2009

[Editor]

August 29, 2009 Issue # 3787

INSIDE BURMA
SHAN: Fighting in Kokang continues
Mizzima: Monks form secret organizations

ON THE BORDER
Irrawaddy: Fighting stops as Kokang surrender arms to Chinese
Bangkok Post: Keeping them close: how to avoid 'mis-education'

BUSINESS / TRADE
Irrawaddy; Weekly business roundup

REGIONAL
WP: China urges Burma to bridle ethnic militia uprising at border
VOA: Thailand urged to protect migrant workers from Burma

INTERNATIONAL
BBC News: Suu Kyi visitor tells of 'sorrow'
Xinhua: Myanmar establishes diplomatic ties with Zimbabwe

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: Editorial: Impotent China

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

August 29, Shan Herald Agency for News
Fighting in Kokang continues

Hostilities that broke out on Thursday (27 August) continued for the
second day yesterday but on a lower intensity probably due to China’s
intervention, according to sources.

The main clashes took place in:
•    Yanglongjai, just south of the Laogai-Nansan cross border checkpoint,
according to a report by the pro-Bai Souqian faction that had ousted his
former boss Peng Jiasheng
•    And on the Kokang-Wa-Yunnan triangle area, where the Burma Army has
been attempting to dislodge troops loyal to Peng from their mountain bases
at Qingsuihe
[Peng Jiasheng with children on the 20th anniversary of peace with the junta]

Peng Jiasheng with children on the 20th anniversary of peace with the junta

Some 4-500 United Wa State Army (UWSA) fighters had taken part in the
defense of the bases, according to a ceasefire source. “The fighting
stopped at about 13:00,” he said. “The Burma Army’s attacking force is
said to be waiting for reinforcements from the rear.”

It would nevertheless take some time before the back-up units arrive, said
other sources, because some of the bridges were demolished by the rebels.

There was also a report that one of Kokang’s allies Shan State Army (SSA)
‘North’ had staged hit-and-run tactics to delay the reinforcements. But an
SSA commander had flatly denied the report. “We are just holding our
positions,” he said.

As usual, reports of the Burma Army rounding up civilians to carry
supplies in support of the campaign have begun to filter in. One
eye-witness report says even people in the city of Lashio, Shan State
North’s capital, were not spared. “As a result, streets became deserted in
the evening and many shops were closed by 8pm,” said a resident.

China has for the first time urged Burma to peacefully resolve matters
with the Kokang minority, reported CCTV yesterday.

Kokang, Wa, Mongla and a Kachin splinter group used to be part of the
Communist Party of Burma’s People’s Army. The 4 party alliance Peace and
Democracy Front (PDF) has yet to accept non-former CPB groups such as SSA
North and Kachin Independence Army (KIA) as members. SSA was regarded only
as “the closest ally outside the PDF.”

The CPB, backed by China, had fought against Rangoon, until it was
overthrown by the ethnic forces under its command in 1989.

____________________________________

August 28, Mizzima News
Monks form secret organizations- Phanida

Chiang Mai – The internet has revealed more and more statements relating
to forming of anti-junta secret organizations by monks.

The statements issued by the All Burma Students Union said branch
organizations under the aegis of the underground All Burma Monks
Organization were formed in Pegu, Irrawaddy and Rangoon Division. The
information is being disseminated among Burmese internet users.

The All Burma Monks Organization Foreign Affairs in-charge Sayadaw U
Eithiriya said that these branches were formed with the intention of
toppling the military junta through mass movements, taking to the streets
unitedly and with solidarity in order to achieve victory.

"We have consolidated all monk organizations such as Sangha Samaggi
(Sangha Union), Young Monks Union and Thawthuzana. But for all these
organizations, it is very difficult to form a unified organization. So we
have now arranged to let all these organizations conduct their movements
in their own area under the unified command and instruction of a central
leadership," he said.

The monks’ organization’s has demanded that the junta make a formal
apology for its atrocities, killings and persecution committed against
monks. The apology should come before the deadline of October 2, noon.

The monk-led demonstrations spread like wildfire across the country after
the local authorities beat up monks in Pakokku in early September 2007.

The monks took to the streets and chanted Metta sutra in Rangoon, Mandalay
and other major cities. The security forces retaliated by brutally
cracking down on the demonstrators, killing and arresting them.

Among the instances of brutal crackdowns, is the infamous incident, where
the security forces raided Ngwe Kyar Yan monastery in Rangoon on November
24, 2007 and beat up all the monks they found inside and arrested them.

The Minister of Ministry of Religion accused the arrested monks of being
imposters.

The statement issued by the All Burma Monks Organization is being widely
disseminated among the people of Burma. A spokesperson of the organization
U Dhama Wuntha told Mizzima that the monks in Burma are facing difficulty
in going about their movement.

"In fact, we are mobilizing people through this movement. We showed them
what we are doing and are trying to boost their morale. We are into this
movement inside Burma without almost any political space. First we
launched a poster campaign as part of an awareness campaign among the
people and to encourage them to join us. Now we can no longer do these,"
he said.

The spokesman of the underground student organization Zar Ni said that
they were getting ready to join the ex-communicative boycott when the All
Burma Monk Organization launches it.

"To what extent the monks launch the boycott and how much it will spread,
depend on the leading monks. When this movement forges ahead, our All
Burma Federation of Student Union will join them and will fight the junta
at the forefront," he said.

According to a source from Naypyidaw War Office, the junta has
intelligence inputs on such a monk-led movement and they are monitoring
the situation closely.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

August 29, Irrawaddy
Fighting stops as Kokang surrender arms to Chinese - Wai Moe

Fighting near the Sino-Burmese border came to an abrupt halt today after
about 700 Kokang troops handed over their weapons to Chinese officials
following days of clashes that sent thousands fleeing across the border.

Aung Kyaw Zaw, a Burmese military analyst who is close to the Kokang, told
The Irrawaddy on Saturday that at least 700 soldiers from the Myanmar
National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), an ethnic-Kokang militia,
crossed the border into China today and surrendered their arms to local
officials.

Kokang troops at a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the founding
of the MNDAA.
He added that troops from the United Wa State Army (UWSA), a much larger
force allied to the Kokang, have been repositioned to Wa-controlled
territory.

The Irrawaddy was unable to verify this information with other independent
sources.

The sudden end to the fighting came a day after Kokang and UWSA troops
ambushed a convoy of Burmese army vehicles in Kokang territory. According
to unconfirmed reports, more than a dozen Burmese soldiers were killed in
the attack.

On Thursday, a 20-year ceasefire between the Burmese army and the armed
ethnic groups broke down after government forces moved to occupy Kokang
territory. Since then, the Burmese army has sent reinforcements into the
area from Light Infantry Divisions 33 and 99.

The crisis began on Monday, when tens of thousands of refugees, including
Chinese businessmen, started flooding across the border into China from
Laogai, a town in Kokang territory. Cross-border trade in Laogai has since
come to a standstill and trading at other border checkpoints has
decreased, say sources in the area.

The rapidly deteriorating situation caused consternation in Beijing, which
has long had close relations with both sides in the conflict. Chinese
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said China hoped the Burmese junta
would deal with the situation properly and ensure stability along the
border and protect Chinese citizens in Burma.

“China is following the situation closely and has expressed concern to
Myanmar [Burma],” said Jiang.

Some observers said that junta head Snr-Gen Than Shwe’s decision to send
troops into Kokang territory despite China’s concerns showed his
determination to demonstrate that he will not be constrained by Beijing.

“The Burmese junta doesn’t care what anybody thinks, so I don’t think the
generals are thinking about China’s response,” said Chan Tun, a former
Burmese ambassador to China.

But while Naypyidaw showed little concern about the consequences of
renewed fighting in the area, Beijing couldn’t ignore the worsening
situation, as Chinese living near the border expressed outrage at the
Burmese military’s actions.

“I feel upset with the Burmese government. The Kokang people have Chinese
blood. And in China, many people are so angry that they are urging the
Chinese government to send troops to help the Kokang,” said a Chinese
journalist who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Although Beijing appears to have defused the potentially explosive
situation for the time being, it remains to be seen if fighting will
resume between the Burmese and the Wa, who command a much larger military
force than the Kokang.

The current conflict stems from the refusal of ethnic ceasefire groups,
including Kokang, Wa, Kachin and Shan militias, to transform themselves
into border security forces under Burmese military command.

The 20,000-strong UWSA presents the greatest obstacle to Burmese ambitions
to pacify the country’s borders after six decades of civil conflict.
Although they were among the first ethnic groups to sign a ceasefire
agreement with the current regime in 1989, they have also been the most
resistant to any effort to weaken their hold over their territory.

In Rangoon, news of the clashes in the country’s north has revived
memories of the insurgencies that wracked the region for decades.

“People here are talking about it at teashops. They are saying that this
is the return of civil war,” said an editor of a private weekly journal in
Rangoon.

Meanwhile, Burma’s main opposition party, the National League for
Democracy (NLD), called for a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict
in northern Burma.

“We want the junta to resolve the issue in a peaceful way with ethnic
groups,” NLD spokesman Han Thar Myint told The Irrawaddy on Saturday. “The
cause of the conflict is the Burmese regime’s failure to resolve problems
in the country politically.”

____________________________________

August 29, Bangkok Post
Keeping them close: how to avoid 'mis-education'

Newspaper section: NewsOne public school in Tak has found that caring for
stateless children can foster both improved national security and a sense
of unity among students.At Ban Tha Ard School in Tak's Mae Sot district,
classrooms are a mix of children from the Karen, Mon and Tai Yai as well
as other ethnic groups. Muslim children also mingle with them.

"I agree with the government that we need to keep these children close to
us," said Sutep Thamajak, the school director.

As they get older, the children are vulnerable to recruitment by border
elements who pose a security risk.

Some non-government organisations have provided the children with a
non-formal education that instills in them the wrong attitude towards
Thailand, he said.

Education Minister Jurin Laksanavisit is worried such attempts at
mis-education will endanger the country's border security.

Most parents of students at Ban Tha Ard School are immigrant workers.

During class, students learn to value unity and are encouraged to show
gratitude towards the country and the monarchy, Mr Sutep said.

They are taught Thai, Burmese and English. Many students are from Burma so
need to be proficient in their mother tongue, while English comes in handy
for those who may seek settlement in a third country, said Suni Manowong,
who oversees the school's curriculum.

She said English tuition at the school meets national standards. Students
won an award for outstanding performance in a crossword competition of the
northern provinces last year.

Some teachers are Burmese nationals introduced to the school by local
businessmen trading on the border, who also donated money to help pay the
teachers' wages.

The government's offer of 12 years of free education for state students
has led to a jump in enrolments, from 157 students in 2006 to 426 students
this year, Mr Sutep said.

Only 50 of the students are Thais.

The school provides classes from kindergarten to primary level and it
plans to expand to Mathayom 3 (Grade 9) next year.

The main aim of the school is to monitor stateless children closely, said
Mr Sutep.

"If we don't have them in our sights, we may encounter a dire situation
similar to what happens in the far South," he said.

Khunying Kasama Voravarn na Ayudhya, secretary-general of the Office of
the Basic Education Commission, said she wanted other schools under Obec's
supervision to follow Ban Tha Ard's example by taking in more stateless
students.

Few mainstream schools admit stateless students, she said.

Three are in Tak, two in Chiang Mai and there is one each in Kanchanaburi
and Samut Sakhon, where industries employ many alien workers. - Sirikul
Bunnag

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

August 29, Irrawaddy
Weekly business roundup - William Boot

UK Tourism Clampdown in Burma as Bermuda Firm Cruises Back

A legal loophole that let British tourism operators continue doing
business in Burma in defiance of European Union sanctions has been closed
by an amendment to UK law.

The loophole closure by the government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown now
makes it a criminal offense for tour operators to “provide financial
benefits to prominent members of the military regime and its associates.”

Until this month some British companies continued to send tourists to
resorts and hotels known to be under the control of the junta generals or
developed through regime-approved confiscation of land and forced removal
of local communities.

They included hotels at Ngwe Saung, a beachside district on the Bay of
Bengal, from where several thousand people were banished, farmland stolen
and traditional inshore fishing banned.

The loophole was highlighted by human rights campaigners in Britain.

British companies doing business at Ngwe Saung and hotels elsewhere linked
with the regime included Audley Travel, Bales Worldwide and Undiscovered
Destinations.

But the new loophole-plugging legislation seemingly does not hinder a
London-based firm registered in the tax haven of Bermuda which has just
announced the resumption of luxury river cruises in Burma.

The Orient Express says it is restarting four and seven-day cruises on the
Irrawaddy River between Pagan and Mandalay at a minimum cost per person of
more than US $2,300.

The cruises were halted after the monk-led protests in 2007 and the vessel
also reportedly suffered damaged during Cyclone Nargis.

Orient Express is named in the so-called Dirty List of Western firms
produced by the Burma Campaign UK.

“Orient Express has its registered office in Bermuda, is managed from
London, and is listed on the New York stock exchange,” notes the campaign.

The “Road to Mandalay” ship has been expensively refitted to carry more
than 80 passengers in luxury, says Orient Express on its Web site.

In a snub to human rights groups campaigning to stop Western tourism to
Burma, the company says: “Orient-Express makes no apology for the actions
of any of the countries our guests visit. It is our view that any form of
travel between countries encourages positive communication between people
and helps to broaden everyone’s outlook. It is up to individuals’ own
consciences to determine whether or not they should visit a particular
country.”

Foreign Public Money Funds Burma’s Shwe Gas Development

Billions of dollars of foreign public funds are to be invested in
supporting development of Burma’s offshore gas reserves to feed China.

The governments of South Korea and India will contribute the bulk of an
estimated US $5.6 billion to be spent on two blocks in the Shwe gas field
in the Bay of Bengal on the coast of Arakan State.

That’s the amount disclosed by South Korea’s state-owned Kogas as being
needed to pump up to 200 billion cubic meters of gas from the blocks to an
onshore pipeline to be built by China to ferry it across Burma into
China’s southwest Yunnan Province.
Kogas revealed this week it will spend almost $300 million of public
funds, while privately owned South Korean industrial conglomerate Daewoo
International will spend $1.68 billion.

The consortium working on the Shwe field also includes Indian state-owned
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and GAIL, previously called the Gas
Authority of India Limited. It has not been divulged exactly how much each
of these firms will contribute.
Both Kogas and Daewoo were recently named in a human rights group report
to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The South Korean government failed to follow OECD guidelines following
allegations made by EarthRights International and the Shwe Gas Movement of
human rights abuses associated with the Shwe development.

China’s state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation is buying all the
gas in the A1 and A3 Shwe blocks being developed.

Burma to Boost Rubber Output to Feed China Demand

The Burmese authorities are backing a major expansion of the country’s
rubber plantations in a campaign which will reportedly see production
increase by 33 percent over a three-year period.

The expansion is to help meet rising demand from China, said the official
Chinese news agency Xinhua.

Between 2007 and 2010 the area under plantation is to expand by more than
100,000 hectares to a total of almost 470,000 hectares, the agency quotes
Burma’s Rubber Entrepreneurs Association as saying.

About 90 percent of the rubber produced is exported to China and five
Asean countries—Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.

One of the biggest new plantation developments, totaling 40,000 hectares,
is in the May Yu mountain region in southern Arakan State.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

August 29, Washington Post
China urges Burma to bridle ethnic militia uprising at border - Tim Johnston

Bangkok -- A Burmese government crackdown on powerful ethnic militias that
have challenged its rule for more than 60 years has driven 10,000 refugees
into neighboring China, prompting a rare rebuke from Chinese authorities,
the Burmese regime's key allies.

The refugees fled over the border into China's Yunnan province in the past
few days after fighting erupted between Burmese government troops and
ethnic militia fighters from the Kokang region of the nation also known as
Myanmar.

China called on the Burmese authorities to "properly handle domestic
problems and maintain stability in the China-Myanmar border region,"
according to a statement from Foreign Ministry spokesman Jiang Yu. "We
also urge Myanmar to protect the security and legal rights of Chinese
citizens in Myanmar."

China has been balancing support for the Burmese government with backing
for the armed ethnic groups that occupy much of the Burmese side of the
border. The border regions are heavily influenced by China, with many
Chinese businesses taking advantage of the trade in gems, timber and jade.

Analysts say the fighting is just the most obvious sign of tensions
arising from the Burmese government's desire to control the armed ethnic
groups with which it has co-existed uneasily since a round of cease-fires
that began 20 years ago ended decades of open conflict.

The recent fighting in the Kokang region has pitted government troops
against the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army as well as drawing
in other ethnic groups involved in the cease-fire including the United Wa
State Army, which with about 20,000 fighters is the largest ethnic army in
the country.

A cease-fire agreement between the government and the National Democratic
Alliance Army had been in place since 1989.

____________________________________

August 29, Voice of America
Thailand urged to protect migrant workers from Burma - Daniel Schearf

A Thailand-based activist group says migrant workers from Burma are
significantly worse off than they were a year ago. The group is urging the
Thai government to extend legal protections and social safety nets to
migrant workers.

The Migrant Assistance Program Foundation, known as MAP, says the global
economic downturn has hit migrants from Burma particularly hard.

According to research released by MAP Friday at the Bangkok press club, 70
percent of workers from Burma in two Thai cities say they are having more
difficulty finding work. And while the cost of living has gone up, 30
percent say their wages were cut during the past year.

The report says factory workers have suffered the worst as exports have
dropped with low foreign demand.

Soe Lin Aung is one of the authors of the report. He says MAP is asking
the Thai government to fully integrate migrants into the social security
system and to include them in economic recovery packages.

"We're also asking that they monitor and enforce relevant labor laws along
the lines of working hours, minimum wage, and severance pay," he said.
"The Thai government should lift travel restrictions for migrants. If we
allow migrants to move more freely they can have an easier time of
locating safe and secure employment, which is good for migrants and it's
good for the economy frankly because then the migrant worker population
can be more responsive to changing economic conditions if they can move
more freely."

Soe Lin Aung says the group is also asking the Thai government to stop
threatening to deport illegal migrants, which he said would help build a
more inclusive society.

Most of the migrant workers in Thailand are undocumented and risk
exploitation from employers.

The MAP report says women from Burma have been affected more than men. 
Many female migrants in Thailand work as household maids.

Deng Lungjong represents a migrant domestic worker group in Chiang Mai.
She says employers have stopped paying benefits and annual wage increases
and some are even withholding pay.

But, despite the worsening job situation in Thailand, she says they are
not encouraging migrant workers to stay in Burma.

She says they do not discourage friends to come to Thailand because
whatever the situation is like here it is worse in Burma. She says there
is no work in Burma, whereas in Thailand there are still bits and pieces.

The MAP research was based on interviews, focus groups and survey results
from more than four-hundred migrants from Burma working in the northern
Thai cities of Mae Sot and Chiang Mai.

Some 300,000 to 400,000 migrant workers from Burma work in the two cities,
mainly in agriculture, construction, and factories.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

August 29, BBC News
Suu Kyi visitor tells of 'sorrow'

The man who swam to the lakeside home of Burmese opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi has spoken of his sorrow that his action led to her arrest and
trial.

John Yettaw told the BBC that he had a dream that Ms Suu Kyi was going to
be murdered, and swam to her home wearing home-made flippers to warn her.

Mr Yettaw was sentenced to seven years in prison but is now back home
after US Senator Jim Webb intervened.

Ms Suu Kyi was sentenced to 18 months' further house arrest.

Mr Yettaw, a devout Mormon from Falcon, Missouri, told the BBC's Newshour
programme that he had had many strong visions or dreams which he called
"impressions" or "camcorder moments".

In one he says he foresaw an official plot to murder Ms Suu Kyi and this
prompted him to swim twice to her home to warn her of the danger.

On the first occasion he says he left some Mormon scriptures for her but
did not enter her home.

As he left he was challenged by an armed guard. He says he shook hands
with the guard who then walked away and he took a taxi away from the
scene.

Another dream

But he again swam to her house in May after another dream.

"I had been researching Myanmar (Burma) and researching about the
internally displaced families and about the numbers of people who had been
murdered and then about the numbers of people through the Cyclone (Nargis)
and then about Aung San Suu Kyi's release date and I went to sleep that
night and I had a dream that when she was released she was going to be
murdered and I saw a plot," he said.

He said that he believed the inevitable publicity surrounding his trips
would make it impossible for the Burmese military authorities to carry out
their alleged plan to assassinate her.

"When I was in the water the first time... I had seen myself returning to
the house and being in her house two days. When I had the dream of the
assassination I thought: OK, I'll go back and I will share with her this
message.

"I shared with many people that I had this overwhelming feeling that I was
going to be imprisoned and become a political prisoner. The theme was that
the eyes of the world would be on Aung San Suu Kyi and that this would
spare her life, that the junta (Burma's military government) would not
dare try to assassinate her."

Mr Yettaw, 53, said that when he arrived at Ms Suu Kyi's home for the
second time she was "shocked" to see him.

"When I got in to talk to Aung San Suu Kyi I said there's a plot to
assassinate you," he said. "She said: 'If I die I die.' I said no way,
Burma needs you."

Both Mr Yettaw and Ms Suu Kyi were arrested and the pro-democracy leader
was charged with breaking the terms of her house arrest by sheltering Mr
Yettaw.

Mr Yettaw, who suffered ill health during his detention, spoke of his
sorrow that his actions had led to Ms Su Kyi's arrest.

"I was sorrowful that she was arrested," he said. "I had impressions that
I would be on trial and that Aung San Suu Kyi would either testify for or
against me but not that she would be placed on trial because I think that
if I had seen that I wouldn't have done it."

____________________________________

August 29, Xinhua
Myanmar establishes diplomatic ties with Zimbabwe

Yangon - Myanmar has established diplomatic ties with Zimbabwe at
ambassadorial level, bringing the total number of countries in the world
with which Myanmar has such links up to 98 since it regained independence
in 1948, state-run newspaper the New Light of Myanmar reported Saturday.

An agreement on the establishment of diplomatic ties was signed by the
ambassadors of Myanmar and Zimbabwe to India in New Delhi Thursday, the
report said.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Myanmar has so far set up embassies in
30 countries and two permanent missions in New York and Geneva, and three
consulates-general in China's Hong Kong and Kunming and India's Calcutta,
respectively.

Meanwhile, 28 countries have their embassies in Myanmar. In addition,
China and India have respectively set up consulates-general in Myanmar's
Mandalay, the second largest city, while Switzerland in Yangon and
Bangladesh in Sittway.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

August 29, Irrawaddy
Editorial: Impotent China

The increased tension and fighting between Burmese troops and ethnic
armies along the Sino-Burmese border has sent thousands of refugees
fleeing to China. This has prompted Chinese foreign ministry officials to
express hope that Burma can “properly deal with its domestic issue to
safeguard the regional stability of its bordering area with China.”

Authorities in the southeastern Chinese province of Yunnan say some 10,000
people have already fled across the border from Burma in recent days due
to the recent clashes. Most are Burmese-born Chinese and Chinese nationals
living along the border.

Over the past few months, Beijing has been engaging in quiet diplomacy
with Naypyidaw to urge the Burmese junta to solve the ethnic issue along
the border in a peaceful way. When Gen Maung Aye visited Beijing in June,
Chinese leaders again requested him not to use force against ethnic
ceasefire groups and to maintain stability there.

Burmese leaders are also reportedly unhappy, as Chinese continue to
support ethnic groups along the border. Many Burmese military leaders
harbor anti-China sentiments, as China has in the past heavily backed
ethnic armies and the now defunct Communist Party of Burma (CPB). The Wa
and Chinese from the Kokang region were former members of the CPB.

However, it seems the Burmese leaders did not listen to China’s advice.
Instead, the regime went ahead with plans to press the ethnic groups near
the border to disarm and form border guard forces. The regime aims to
complete this transformation before elections are held next year.

The current conflict has been 20 years in the making. It is a direct
result of the regime’s refusal to grant the ethnic ceasefire groups the
self-determination they seek within the framework of a federal union.

The greatest irony of this situation is that China, a major arms supplier
and staunch ally of the repressive regime for the past two decades, has
proven to be impotent in its efforts to persuade the junta leaders to find
a political solution to this issue.

China has consistently backed the regime at the UN Security Council,
exercising its veto power to block resolutions condemning the regime for
its brutal repression of dissent, arguing that these actions do not
represent a threat to international security.

In early August, Chinese foreign ministry officials even defended the
regime’s decision to sentence detained Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San
Suu Kyi to a further 18 months under house arrest, saying that the
international community must respect Burma’s judicial sovereignty.

After decades of defending the junta, China’s leaders are learning the
hard way that the Burmese junta’s sole concern is its own
self-preservation. It cares as little about what Beijing wants as it does
about the democratic aspirations of Burma’s people.

Like it or not, Beijing’s approach to Burma—and its status as an emerging
superpower—is being put to the test. Unless it can find a way to rein in
the generals, China risks not only instability along its border with
Burma, but also appearing to be powerless to defend its own interests.