A question with no answer yet

Friday, 23 October 2009 11:35


To

Mr. Barack Obama

The President of the United States

Mr. Gordon Brown

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy

The President of France

Mr. Paro Aso

The Prime Minister of Japan

Date: September 9, 2009

Dear Sirs,

General Than Shwe wants to acquire nuclear arms because of the United States attack on Iraq. He reckons that if only Iraq possessed nuclear arms in addition to chemical weapons, the US would not have dared attack. Burma’s military dictators realize that possession of nuclear weapons is the reason for the restrained dealing, by the US, toward North Korea. Aware of this catch, Burma’s generals covet a nuclear capacity.

In late 2006, natural gas was found in Arakan State and uranium deposits discovered in Northern Burma. This has only driven Than Shwe crazier in his nuclear dream, pushing the Science and Technology Ministry, Defense Ministry and Directorate of Defense Industries to speed up the work. General Than Shwe has entrusted Defense Industry 20 to head the nuclear project and chose Seitottaya, Pwintbyu, Natmauk, Pyin Oo Lwin and Thabeikkyin Kyaukpahto as designated areas for nuclear construction and experiments.

Vice-Senior General Maung Aye has been named as the point man in dealing with Russia, while Defense Industries Director and UMEHL boss General Tin Aye is working with North Korea and General Shwe Mann dealing with China.

However, owing to the poor level of learning by returnees from Russia, the junta has been forced to turn to North Korea for nuclear matters. Thus, Senior General Than Shwe sent General Shwe Mann, who was powerful enough to strike a deal, to China on an apparently formal visit but which was in reality to secretly contact North Korea with China's help.

Since 1996, General Than Shwe has adopted a National Defense Strategy which "uses people to control people" by employing entities such as the Fire Squad and Red Cross. Now the junta has even formed an alternative Monk community to divide and rule the clergy.

Therefore, only if we adopt a counter-strategy of "using the Army to control the Army" against the country’s military dictators can we move on toward democracy. Both foreign-based scholars and people inside the country are recommending, expecting and enlisting the Army to achieve democracy.

Soldiers inside the country are asking a question to which there is no answer yet. The question is, "If the soldiers stand by the side of the people, will the nations of the world acknowledge and support them?"

In other words, when soldiers stand by the people's side there will be a bloody revolution. So they would like to know whether your Excellencies are likely to stand by them and render support if such an occasion arises.

Yet, if there is no support and recognition by world leaders, it is certain that Army officers would not spontaneously rise up because of their bitter experiences described in our previous letter. Since the Army can provide international standards of recognition such as a safe haven for MPs, buffer zones, independent armed forces, parliament, federal constitution, etc., it is critical for the Army and the people to unite before 2010.

Your Excellencies are mistaken in that you think too much of your modern IT equipment, facilities, satellite communications, Internet and computers while you think lowly of Burma.

As we have said before, he has manipulated two Koreas which are at loggerheads, employed one country to explore uranium, another country to provide nuclear technology and still another to provide weaponry so as to cover up the tracks of his pursuit of WMD, also linking the nuclear issue with the electricity and energy sector to avoid international scrutiny. Additionally, he successfully switched to an Indian satellite out of fear of the US spying on Thaksin's Thai satellite.

Even General Than Shwe's closest aides do not know what is in his mind. He has a habit of having his plane readied for him by his trusted tycoon friend Tay Za and flying off for a destination which is disclosed only in midflight.

The best spy satellites cannot look into the underground tunnels he has dug. Almost all the people think that Naypyitaw must be his ultimate redoubt, but in fact he has designated and built up Maymyo as his ultimate line of defense.

We know there are countries which the US takes seriously due to its national interest or perceived threat to its security. However, we sadly realize that the US is not much concerned with Burma since it poses neither a national interest nor security threat. But what would happen if Burma acquires nuclear weapons by 2015?

At the time of Cyclone Nargis, a French warship was about to land troops in Burma but the US was hesitant – fearing China – frustrating the Burmese people with the US indecision. Would you believe that most of the lower officers and other ranks of the Burma Army were expecting you at that time? We would like to tell you that they were not going to fight you like Vietnam but lay down their arms and readily welcome US troops coming on shore to help their distressed relatives in the Irrawaddy Division.

The British Prime Minister's open letter at the time of our popular leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's recent trial cheered the Burmese people, but the later bailout of John William Yeattaw – facilitated by a US Senator – has since caused further disappointment. As we have said, dialogue is possible only under a relative balance of power. Therefore, only when the power base of the military dictators erodes will they turn up at the negotiating table.

Burmese soldiers who want to side with the people can make it happen to some extent, but are reluctant to do so because of the question to which they have yet to receive an answer. It is necessary to differentiate between the Burma Army led by some Generals that would like to stand by the peoples’ side and the army led by General Than Shwe. As long as dialogue is floated superficially and perfunctorily, the Burmese people will continue to be bored and disillusioned.



Respectfully,

Pro-democracy officers and other ranks

Burmese Military

Email: demosternelson@aol.com