September 2007

Fringer has written two articles in English about the situation in Myanmar, Shame on the Burmese junta, shame on the Thai government and Blood money: why ASEAN can but probably won’t stop the brutal massacre in Myanmar.

Europe learned through two bloody world wars that giving up a bit of sovereignty and meddling in each others affairs makes them stronger as a group, and makes conflict almost impossible. The benefit to the people of Europe of the increased prosperity and safety clearly outweighs the small loss of power felt by Europe's political leaders. What seems to make this unlikely to happen within the ASEAN block is that the leaders of nearly every country are doing it for their own reasons, their own power and their own aggrandisement. The people be damned.

In many of the countries dissenters are locked up, tortured or just killed. This is what the thugs ruling Myanmar have always done, and they're very good at it now. Those countries lucky enough not to be ruled by thugs and robbers still don't allow the people to freely express themselves or participate fully in the ruling of their own country.

What the countries' leaders should be ruling for is the benefit of their people, but that political reform still seems a long way off.