Magic of ‘Tooth Relic’

by Dr. Tint Swe
Monday, 16 November 2009 15:34

Mizzima News - Burma and Sri Lanka have some shared facts such as colonialism, Theravada Buddhism, Non-Aligned Movement, and protracted armed resistance by the minority.

Apart from that Than Shwe’s trip to the Venerable Island is not significant like General Aung San’s visit to Kandy to sign an agreement with Lord Mountbatten in September 1945.

His visit is somewhat noteworthy. A Burmese military dictator rarely goes out of his den as he has very limited friends who are willingly to lay out the red carpet. The timing is also shrewd because his counterpart President Mahinda Rajapaksa has completed his use of military might to vanquish LTTE. That impresses Than Shwe, who is yet to be successful on this score. The difference between the Tamil resistance and ethnic nationalities’ fighting in Burma is use of terrorist means. Hereditarily Burmese people are not like Tamils or Al-Qa’ida. Throughout history there are no suicide bombers or assassins who conduct missions outside Burma. All armed resistant groups in Burma chose only armed targets not civilians.

Than Shwe’s visit to Sri Lanka was reciprocal of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s June visit marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations. It was preceded by Thein Sein visit in August 2007 and Nyan Win in March this year and all were after Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka’s Burma trip in 2006. In fact, between Burma and Sri Lanka it is elephant tusker diplomacy. So not only leaders but elephants will also be travelling from Burma to Sri Lanka.

There are reports that Sri Lanka received humanitarian as well as military hardware assistance through Burma waters. Therefore just after that historic victorious operation against the LTTE, Mahinda Rajapaksa flew to Naypyidaw to express his gratitude to senior General Than Shwe and visited Shwedagon Pagoda. Then Burmese tyrant got an opportunity to go abroad after five years and to visit the Temple of the Tooth where the Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha is being enshrined. Thanks to Buddhism the two heads of state from Buddhist dominated nations have become real friends in need.

General Than Shwe also needs fresh air as he has been occupied with the exit strategy as 2010 is drawing near. While the western bloc though engaging directly is not going to accept the junta’s election next year as it is, so Than Shwe has to collect signatures from possible allies. Sri Lanka is one of them.

The visit is also significant because it is shortly after Burmese Buddhist monks have pronounced a religious boycott against the regime people for the third time. Than Shwe wants to show that he has Buddhist monks and a Buddhist president on his side in a foreign country. This is outrage to Burmese Buddhist monks.

While Than Shwe enjoyed traditional dances here and there, Mangala Pinsiri Samawareera, former Foreign Affairs Minister and the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party called Than Shwe the dictator who killed over 138 Buddhist monks in cold blood. Thanks to Sri Lanka democracy.

The coincidence or similarity of the two countries was news reports of top level military leaders of both countries. Lt. General Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo, the Secretary 1 and Minister of Military Affairs of Burma was clipped of his intelligent chief status and Sri Lanka General Sarath Fonseka, Chief of Defence Staff was permitted to retire.

It can be concluded that Than Shwe is trying to seek the blessings of the most sacred Tooth Relic for the 2010 election as he knows by hook or by crook is not enough. In Burmese it is called use of both ‘Superior and Inferior means.’