Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach inniu chun an ábhar tábhachtach seo ar Myanmar a phlé. Cúpla mí ó shin bhí an tAire Stáit anseo mar Bhall den Seanad agus ba mhaith liom aontú leis an méid a dúirt an Seanadóir Cummins agus comhghairdeas a ghabháil don Aire Stáit i dtaobh an phoist tábhachtaigh atá aige anois. Go n-éirí go mór leis sa phost agus sa Rialtas.

Molaim an tAire, an Teachta Dermot Ahern, as ucht an suim atá curtha isteach agus an iarracht atá déanta aige chun imeachtaí i Myanmar a chur i bhfeabhas, go mór mhór go mbeadh na gnáthdaoine sa tír sin páirteach sa Rialtais i Myanmar.

Burma is a large country of some 50 million people, which reflects the large populations in many of the Asian countries. It has a long historic tradition and it is sad to think that the military junta has been running the country since 1962. To some extent it perhaps shows the inability of the international community and the international organisations to get to grips with serious situations around the globe. The fact that it should be allowed continue for so long must be a matter of great concern.

All of us will be aware that increases in oil prices for the regime led to the current serious situation in Burma and the peaceful protests which emanated as a consequence. However, it was the built-up hostility to the repression that people have suffered over the past four and a half decades that gave rise to this expression of hostility. It is fair to say that it quickly changed from a situation where people were protesting against the fuel price increases, which impacted severely on the poverty of many people in that country, to one of condemnation and a seeking of the end of suppression by the military regime.

It is interesting that the protests were led by the Buddhist monks. Those of us from Wexford would be familiar with the 1798 rebellion where the Catholic priests and the Protestant leaders led the campaign to free the people of the yoke of tyranny which suppressed them for centuries, and this has a similar resonance with what is happening with the Buddhist monks. There are approximately 500,000 Buddhist monks in the country. I have also learnt that there are also approximately 500,000 Buddhist monks inculded in the army and that many people feel the fermentation of resistance may well come from that group of monks. Buddhism promotes a peaceful disposition to society and to governments generally, but the fact that the peaceful protests were put down with such cruelty will generate its own reaction in time.

The regime has acknowledged that there were approximately 11 deaths but most independent commentators believe that the number is probably in the hundreds. In addition, many people have been imprisoned, not least many of the monks who were involved in the protests.

There is a lesson in the fact that many of the activists who were involved in the 1988 protests have been re-imprisoned, presumably, as the regime would see it, as a precaution against further protestation. That protest occurred 20 years ago and very little has changed. While calm has been restored we must be clear that the diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation in the Burma in the interests of the people of that country should be intensified.

Ireland has taken a strong position consistently on this issue and it is correct that we should seek that the military junta accept the genuine democratic aspirations of the people of Burma and engage meaningfully with the opposition, and particularly with the ethnic groups. Some 30% of the population is made up of ethnic groups and that mirrors the position in other Asian countries. It may well be in their interest to ensure a peaceful transformation from the current oppression to a state of greater democracy and respect for human rights in Burma because other Asian countries will be susceptible to protests if there is not a move in that direction.

I join Senator Cummins in complimenting the Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, who has shown great consistency and leadership in the manner in which this and other issues have been tackled. In particular, the fact we engaged our ambassadors in Asian countries, particularly the countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations, ASEAN, to ensure the voice of the free world was reflected was a good response. The strong condemnation of those nations was unprecedented. While the Minister stated he would perhaps like to see further moves in this direction, it is unusual for Asian countries to in any way adversely comment on the internal affairs of other countries. It is significant it happened and needs to be encouraged. There will be a further opportunity for Ireland and the EU in this regard when the ASEAN countries meet on 22 November.

It is fair to acknowledge that China has played a constructive role behind the scenes in encouraging the military regime to respond and to allow the United Nations representative, Dr. Gambari, to visit the country with free access to opposition leaders and to examine the situation. I realise there is criticism that China, with Russia, vetoed the United Nations Security Council debate and formulation of a resolution in this regard. However, we all remember the manner in which the Security Council was used with regard to the invasion of Iraq. The human rights section of the United Nations might at times be a more appropriate vehicle to address such issues.

When he visited Burma, Dr. Gambari had access to Dr. Tan Shwe, the leader of the military junta, and to Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy, the opposition party. I believe the solution is to be found in the agenda set by Dr. Gambari, which suggested, first, the establishment of a constitutional review group within Burma and, second, the establishment of a poverty alleviation commission.

There is talk of sanctions but, as is generally the case when dealing with people, we need the carrot and the stick. The carrot in this situation can be the financial and economic support of the international community to create the transition that is necessary in Burma. A huge element of the population is in deep deprivation and poverty. This incentive must be part of the solution.

The third change sought by Dr. Gambari was that there would be international access to Burma, which is essential. Part of the reason the regime has been allowed to continue with impunity has been that there is little access to the country, which for long periods of the past 45 years has been more or less ignored. The intensification of interest must be sustained. It was interesting to note that the Red Cross, a body not noted for condemning particular countries or regimes, denounced in very strong terms the Burmese regime, particularly when it refused entry to the prisons in that country.

The Minister of State referred in his speech to sanctions, some of which are currently in place. I am glad there is heavy emphasis on targeting and focusing those sanctions to adversely affect the regime, not the people. This is a very difficult circle to square. To again return to the example of Iraq, when the UN and the international community applied sanctions over a long period, it had the most serious effect on the population, particularly children, from a medical and economic perspective. We should learn a lesson from this, namely, that sanctions which hurt the people of the country, who we claim we are endeavouring to assist, are ridiculous in the extreme. I urge caution. We must ensure any sanctions are carefully constructed and used to protect the people of the country.

The House is ad idem on this issue and that is how the international community should be. We must continue along the lines we have set out and, in particular, we must follow the agenda set by Dr. Gambari and promote dialogue, reconciliation and mutual respect. We must not just do this when the issue is a nine-day wonder in the newspapers due to the protests, but continue to do it month in, month out, when the situation in Burma is calm and not highlighted so much in the media. It behoves us as a Christian country and a respected member of the international community to do so, particularly as we ourselves suffered over a long period. We are in an ideal position to play a constructive role as an advocate in encouraging others to play their part to ensure we change what is an appalling situation in that country.