Escalation of violence in Rangoon

The escalation of violence against Buddhist monks who have been demonstrating peacefully in Burma has caused the Society for Threatened Peoples GfbV) to bring severe criticism on Wednesday against the UN-General Secretary, Ban Ki Moon and the states of the international community. "The international community has failed”, said th Gfbv Asia correspondent, Ulrich Delius. "The catastrophe was bound to happen and it was known just how merciless the ruling junta in Burma is.” Instead of approaching the neighbouring countries of China , India and the other ASEAN states, whose influence could possibly have prevented the shedding of blood, the international community hesitated for days. Ban Kin Moon’s appeal at the last minute came much too late and was not able to prevent the massacre.

The GfbV accused the Chinese government of miserable failure. It did not fulfil its political responsibility as a world power because it did not exercise a moderating influence on its satellite state of Burma . With its military bases, mineral oil and natural gas mines, huge dams and timber industry in the neighbouring country China has a presence and enjoys on both military and political levels very close relations with the Burmese junta. Before and during the Olympic Games in the summer of 2008 in Peking the criticism of China ’s leadership will be even louder that it is responsible for the most severe violations of human rights.