Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I propose to share time with Deputy Breen. I welcome the Minister to the House and congratulate him on his appointment to the Department of Foreign Affairs, along with the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Power. If I may be so bold, I will give him two pieces of advice. His predecessor, Deputy Dermot Ahern, was in charge of a policy to consider establishing links with Fianna Fáil in Northern Ireland. I raised this issue with the previous Minister and I ask the current Minister to consider this carefully. I have grave concerns about a policy that may lead to Unionists sitting on one side of the table alongside Fianna Fáil Ministers and across from Fianna Fáil Ministers. That is not what the people of Ireland voted for and I ask the Minister to consult with his new party leader and Taoiseach on this policy. One can never put a limit on the boundaries of political parties but this matter is important.

I am delighted to speak on the situation in Burma. We have condemned the regime in Burma in this House over the past few months but it has also come up occasionally over the past decades. I want to sympathise with the Burmese people and examine how we can assist them. The contrast is amazing between the swift and efficient reaction of the military in putting down the protest of the monks. The military seemed to be all-powerful and seemed to carry much authority. In the past few weeks, in contrast, they have been conspicuous by their absence and have an inability, whether by design or otherwise, to assist the people in their country. While one would not advocate a military regime in charge of any group, the one redeeming feature would be that it would be efficient in times of crisis and have contingency plans. This does not seem to be the case and I hope this gels the people of Burma to try to get rid of this regime. That will not happen unless neighbouring regimes such as China stand back rather than influencing the area.

The Burmese authorities had 48 hours notice of this cyclone. They issued some warnings but made no plans for evacuation. They received warnings from the meteorological service in India but nothing was put in place to assist vulnerable people. The Minister outlined how poor the country is, with 30% of its 50 million people below the poverty rate. Infant mortality is 76 per 1,000 of live births and the world food programme estimates that one third of children under five are malnourished and 57% of children leave primary school. These statistics indicate how poor the country is under the authority of the junta. Notwithstanding this, it is one of the countries that has received the least aid, something like €2 per head. This is because countries will not subscribe to a regime so clearly at odds with the population it represents.

The question is how to get aid to the country. The military junta has been in place since the 1960s. Not having access to opinion polls like we do, it called an election in 1990 expecting to come out on top. It was severely crushed but, notwithstanding that, it parked the result of the election and Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the political party that won most seats, has been under house arrest since then. The Minister outlined the steps in progress towards democracy and how it has taken 14 years to frame the constitution. A constitutional referendum was called for 10 May and, despite international calls to defer it, it took place in the unaffected regions and will take place in the affected regions on 24 May. I call on the authorities to defer it. The constitutional referendum is a sham. The draft document was published one month before the referendum and was not translated into any of the 140 ethnic languages that represent 40% of the population of Burma. Some 40% of the population did not have access to it. The constitution reserves 25% of the seats in parliament for army officers, effectively giving a veto over constitutional change, and reserves the right of the military to intervene at any time. It is nothing but a cover up for the junta. If people had free will they would vote against it but will probably vote for it because they are intimidated by the military at polling booths.

Some countries such as China, Thailand and India are getting aid in but there may be international reservations about the motivation of Thailand and India because these countries have an interest in oil and gas resources in Burma. We must look at how we can get aid in; the USA has been turned down. I read last night that coincidentally Congress had bestowed an honour on Aung San Suu Kyi in the week of the cyclone and has also passed a motion condemning the regime. We must ask ourselves if, in putting down a motion condemning the regime, we are actually prohibiting an opportunity of getting aid in. My grandmother used to say that a thimble of honey was worth a bucket of vinegar. Often, we must make our views on democracy subservient to pragmatism and try to assist people. It is the people we are trying to assist in this whole catastrophe.

We often ask ourselves, in the context of Burma and other places, why a regime does this to its people. I am reminded of a refrain from "Fiddler on the Roof". We must recognise that there are two sides to every story. We in the west have down through the centuries plundered and exploited the resources of many of these countries which view us with a certain level of suspicion. I am aware that India annexed Burma for some time. I am sure Members are familiar with the British East India Tea Company that operated in Burma some centuries ago. The Burmese people are suspicious of the western world and believe we are out to exploit their resources.

The only mechanism through which we will be able to get aid in to Burma or other places where natural disasters occur is through the auspices of the non-governmental organisations, in particular the United Nations. We must anticipate these disasters and put in place contingency plans to which all countries must sign-up. We must ensure there is in place a mechanism through which we can get aid to those who need it.

It is horrific to think that in the region of 100,000 or 200,000 people have died because of the cyclone. Oxfam estimates that in the region of 1.5 million people could die from related illnesses. Unnecessary action by the junta is prohibiting aid, which could assist people, from getting in. We have all read the harrowing stories of fathers watching their children fall off trees because they could not hold on any longer. I believe Ireland can take a lead role in this area. We must ensure a contingency plan is put in place by the UN with the agreement of all countries. Let us use the diplomatic approach and get agreement on how aid can be delivered to the area. It is horrific to think that aid stacked up in India, Italy and Thailand cannot be delivered to the people.

With regard to the Irish Government's response, I welcome the €1 million pledged by the Government and the Minister's reference to the availability of the rapid response corps. The UN must consider the involvement of the rapid response corps in this regard. The situation is similar to the deployment by the EU of battlegroups. We can expand the concept here at home. There is a great sense of volunteerism in Ireland and people would be willing to sign-up to this. It would be great if we could send 50 health technicians with water tablets to Burma.

The Fine Gael Party wholeheartedly supports the motion and sends it sympathy to the Burmese people. We condemn the current regime and plead with it to look at this crisis in a humanitarian way and to allow aid in to its citizens who are dying.

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