From Democratic Voice of Burma:
Lazy democracy: India won't press Burma for reform Jul 27, 2006 (DVB) - Indian junior defence minister, during a regional meeting at Kuala Lumpur yesterday, said although democracy in Burma is desired, his government will not pressure Burma´s military junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) for it.
The comment was made by Rao Indirajit Singh, Inida´s junior minister for defense procurement, to Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a regional security meeting. Singh added the world turns a blind eye to other dictatorships and undemocratic governments in the region. He pointed out that India's neighbour on its western border, Pakistan, is also a dictatorship and "a third country on the northern frontier is also not democratic,'' a reference to China.
"We wish democracy would prevail, but we cannot isolate Myanmar (Burma), there are other countries too," India´s Minister of State for Defence Rao Indrajit Singh said. "India would like Myanmar to go democratic but we don't want to push them ... let them go at their own pace,'' said Singh. He also credited Burma with squashing ambitions of terrorists from India's northeast who wanted to seek refuge there. The comments, although a reiteration of India's official stand, come as a disappointment for democrats in the region who look up to India, the world's biggest democracy.
New Delhi-based National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB) – West chairman (ex) Maj Khaing Myo Min said that he is not surprised by India´s stance as India is afraid that Burma might be pushed close to China. On the same night the comments were made, tens of Indian military trucks, tightly wrapped in tarpaulins, (presumably carrying military equipments) were seen crossing the Indo-Burmese border from Moreh in eastern India into Burma, according to local residents. According to a Burmese living in Moreh, around 40-50 Indian military trucks headed towards Burma, after electricity was conveniently cut off yesterday at about 10 o´clock at night. This is the third time Indian military trucks travelled into Burma since 2003.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Bo Lindblom, Byv. 32, SE-31295 Laholm , 0430-223 64