Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-11-16-Speech-4-158"
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"en.20001116.9.4-158"2
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"I, too, reluctantly welcome the opportunity to debate our concerns about the deteriorating human rights situation in Burma and, like many before me, I would have preferred that the situation there had improved so that we did not have to keep returning to this issue over and over again.
I hope that, by prioritising this issue as an urgency, this Parliament is giving a clear message to the Burmese people that their plight is not forgotten and that we recognise that the situation in Burma is worsening rather than improving and are determined to try and do something about it.
However, I do believe that the international community needs to move on from rhetoric to real action and, as a member of Parliament's Delegation for relations with the Member States of ASEAN, South-east Asia and the Republic of Korea, I am disappointed and concerned like others before me that the EU has decided to enter into dialogue with ASEAN in Laos next month at ministerial level.
I know the arguments that the ASEAN Member States have put to our delegation about including Burma in this group. They believe that, by entering into dialogue with Burma, somehow or other they can influence it to change its oppressive practices because it will see the clear economic and political benefits of improving its human rights record.
Burma has been a Member of ASEAN for a number of years and there is absolutely no evidence to date that shows any improvement or an end to forced labour or executions or suppression of free speech and free movement. The list of human rights violations by this regime continues to get longer and longer each year. Engaging with them is a ridiculously naive concept so long as there is not even a glimmer of liberalisation in their attitude.
What this dialogue is achieving is legitimising the Burmese junta's continued brutal regime. As I said earlier, what we want is action and not words. If we are really serious about improving and having an impact on the lives of Burmese people we need to do some of the following. Like others have said before me: we should postpone the meeting in Laos next month; and the Burmese junta should lift all restrictions on democratically elected political members and the leaders of NLD. The junta should also enter into dialogue with the NLD and the ethnic nationalities.
Finally, we should consider supporting ILO economic sanctions to prevent Burma from taking advantage of European trade, investments and tourism until they stop the system of forced labour. We have a moral responsibility, as a community of values, to ensure that the citizens of Burma can enjoy the same fundamental rights as those enjoyed by citizens of Europe."@en1
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