BA KAUNG , The Irrawaddy, January 6, 2012
Concluding a two-day visit to Burma on Friday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said that European sanctions should not be lifted while political prisoners remain in the country.
Hague arrived in Burma on Thursday, the first British foreign secretary to visit Burma since 1995, and met with Burmese President Thein Sein and government officials, including Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin and Lower House Speaker Thura Shwe Mann, in Naypyidaw before flying to Rangoon to have a private dinner with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
In a briefing to reporters following a formal meeting with Suu Kyi on Friday, Hague described former general Thein Sein as “sincere” and expressed support for the reforms he had taken so far, noting however that Burma cannot be assumed to be free and democratic while it continues to detain political dissidents.
He said that all political prisoners must be released before the European Union's restrictive sanctions against Burma are to be changed, and called for humanitarian access to be granted to ethnic conflict areas in the country. The former Conservative party leader also urged the Burmese government to ensure that the parliamentary by-elections to be held on April 1 are “visibly free and fair” in the eyes of the international community.
“It is very important that we do not relax the pressure [on Burma] prematurely, and it is very important that we are clear in what we would like the government here to do for us to be able to change our own policy,” Hague said.
“So in the meetings that I had with the government ministers yesterday, I was very clear about where the United Kingdom stands about what we would like to happen about our advice. So we must not relax our efforts prematurely. That is the risk we must guard against.”
Suu Kyi said in the same press briefing that all political prisoners should be released, and that all efforts must be made to end long-standing ethnic conflicts in Burma. She also noted that she would like to see free and fair by-elections in which her National League for Democracy party will contest.
“I must add that I would like to see the NLD winning very well in these elections,” she said.
According to a Reuters report, Hague was assured by parliament speaker Thura Shwe Mann in their meeting on Thursday that by-elections will be free and fair and that he wanted Suu Kyi on board.
Hague is the latest in a series of high-ranking Western diplomats—including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—to visit Burma, and hold talks with government officials and Suu Kyi in order to gauge the recent political and economic changes under the country's new quasi-civilian government that took office in March.
In meetings with Western officials and diplomats, Naypyidaw has made a string of pledges, including releasing hundreds of political prisoners and making further democratic changes. In return, the Burmese government are asking for economic sanctions to be lifted and relations to be normalized.
However, many Burmese expressed disappointment with the government this week after a presidential order on Monday to grant clemency to prisoners resulted in just over 30 political prisoners who had little time on their sentences being released.
On Tuesday, Suu Kyi said that she continues to have confidence in President Thein Sein's influence and expressed hopes for the release of all remaining political dissidents.
Her party colleague Win Tin, however, said he is not so optimistic about the future of the country and expressed concerns about Burma becoming a pawn in the Western push against China's rising power.
In an interview with the Guardian during the British foreign secretary's visit, Win Tin said, “Hague should keep in mind that, yes, we have found a light in the tunnel here in Burma—but we are still in the tunnel. Maybe we can reach the light; maybe we can make it brighter; maybe we can even leave the tunnel. But we don't know yet. And meanwhile, we are still in the dark.”
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