UK group lashes out at British government

Prominent British rights group, Burma Campaign UK has criticized British policies toward Burma as what they perceive as a lack of initiative at a time when protests, demonstrations and arrests are taking place throughout the country.

“It is shameful that the British government has not taken any concrete action in response to this new wave of repression in Burma,” reads yesterday’s statement from the organization.

The group goes on to say that there appears “no sense of urgency” and “no apparent strategy” from the British government, along with an unwillingness to follow through on past initiatives.

Specific measures Burma Campaign UK would like to see undertaken by the British government include calling for discussions among decision-making bodies at both the United Nations and European Union, as well as an increase in unilateral sanctions imposed against the junta.

While acknowledging past leadership of the British government regarding Burmese initiatives, the rights group says that British leadership in addressing Burma has comprehensively failed since January of this year.

Since the first month of the year British policy is said to have: “failed to press for the EU Common Position on Burma to be strengthened when it was renewed in April, failed to support an International Labour Organisation referral of Burma to the International Court of Justice over forced labour, and failed to take action when two British Virgin Island registered companies invested in Burma’s gas fields.”

“The regime literally gets away with murder because every time they commit atrocities we see the same limp reaction from the international community.”, said Mark Farmaner, the Acting Director of the Burma Campaign UK.

Meanwhile, United Nations Special Envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, is personally accused of having “gone into hiding” at a critical juncture of the fight for rights in Burma.

“The tragedy is, despite the failure of the British government to act, it is still one of the democracy movement’s strongest supporters. That should shame governments around the world, and is one reason why the generals will sleep easy tonight,” concludes the missive.

Burma Campaign UK will be conducting a protest outside the Foreign Office today in London. It will be the first protest organized by the group in over a decade.