After Cyclone Tracy on Christmas Eve 1974, struggling countries like India and Sri Lanka offered assistance to Darwin. Burma , ruled by a brutal military junta and still suffering from Cyclone Nargis which killed in excess of 200,000 people, needs help from the world, which just happens to include the Northern Territory. A partner in Darwin’s proposed $12billion Inpex gas project is the French gas company , Total , which annually pumps hundreds of millions of dollars into the coffers of the corrupt Burmese generals as it and other nations exploit the country’s resources , not to the benefit of the masses.
At the last sitting of the NT Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister, Paul Henderson , said he had been assured there was no chance of the Inpex project not going ahead due to the global economic meltdown because it was designed to keep the lights on in Japan in the future. Bully for Japan , but what about the ordinary Burmese who right now are in a stygian state . A recent German TV news report highlighted the plight of the Burmese- scared to speak out, struggling to feed themselves , living in flimsy structures made from cyclone debris and scraps of plastic and drinking polluted water. The UN, repeatedly ignored by the Burmese generals, is also demanding the release of thousands of prisoners. In a typically bizarre action by the generals, they have locked up a comedian for nearly 50 years for poking fun at them. The Irrawaddy news magazine , which covers Southeast Asia and Burma , runs cartoons vividly explaining the situation in Burma.
In the December 12 edition is a front page cartoon showing the UN Secretary –General, Ban Ki Moon , a large key in hand, being pushed, his heels dug in, by many hands towards a prison door marked Burma , with umpteen locks. Another cartoon shows a bloated corpse floating near a banquet table complete with candelabra at which a general prevaricates with the Japanese UN Secretary- General .
In the Territory there has not been a public squeak of concern about the Burmese. The Territory government and local media have all avoided mention of the Total connection with the Burmese crooks and the plight of the people . It is a classic case of don’t rock the boat , forget morality , sing along in tune with the PR handouts and share in the bonanza , even if it means turning a blind eye to the oppression of the Burmese.
Apparently no member of the Legislative Assembly is a member of Amnesty International. Not that it means anything when you recall that Phil Ruddock is a member . Dare it be mentioned that Mrs Laura Bush urged the world not to participate in an auction organised by the Burmese generals to flog off resources such as emeralds for a quick buck . If the wife of the US president saw fit to speak out against the generals, surely somebody in the NT government with intestinal fortitude could whisper boo from atop Uluru during the witching hour.
Perhaps the best course of action , using the good offices of the Federal Government , with the help of the diplomatic skills of PM Rudd , would be an approach to the nifty French President,Nicolas Sarkozy. Against a torrent of warnings by the Chinese, President Sarkozy recently was the only European head of state to meet the Dalai Lama . In the past, the French government has protected Total from European Union calls for strong action against the Burmese regime.
The French are now said to be keen to improve their image in the world , so why not ask President Sarkozy to use his influence on Total to improve the conditions of the Burmese populace? Medecins Sans Frontieres has been active in Burma since 1999, but is expected to pull out at the end of this year.
A news item this very day said Japan is concerned about the growing number of refugees from countries such as Burma flooding into the country. An Inpex spokesman , spreading pre- Xmas joy and goodwill in the Territory, recently said the company planned to have a beneficial working relationship with the Darwin community . It is desirable for Total to have a similar attitude to the people of Burma where the legitimate, democratically elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi , has been under house arrest for for 13 years with no sign of release . Surely, somebody in the Territory has a conscience or have we all crept into the sheltered manger, waiting for men from the East bearing gold, frankincense, myrrh and megabucks?
At the last sitting of the NT Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister, Paul Henderson , said he had been assured there was no chance of the Inpex project not going ahead due to the global economic meltdown because it was designed to keep the lights on in Japan in the future. Bully for Japan , but what about the ordinary Burmese who right now are in a stygian state . A recent German TV news report highlighted the plight of the Burmese- scared to speak out, struggling to feed themselves , living in flimsy structures made from cyclone debris and scraps of plastic and drinking polluted water. The UN, repeatedly ignored by the Burmese generals, is also demanding the release of thousands of prisoners. In a typically bizarre action by the generals, they have locked up a comedian for nearly 50 years for poking fun at them. The Irrawaddy news magazine , which covers Southeast Asia and Burma , runs cartoons vividly explaining the situation in Burma.
In the December 12 edition is a front page cartoon showing the UN Secretary –General, Ban Ki Moon , a large key in hand, being pushed, his heels dug in, by many hands towards a prison door marked Burma , with umpteen locks. Another cartoon shows a bloated corpse floating near a banquet table complete with candelabra at which a general prevaricates with the Japanese UN Secretary- General .
In the Territory there has not been a public squeak of concern about the Burmese. The Territory government and local media have all avoided mention of the Total connection with the Burmese crooks and the plight of the people . It is a classic case of don’t rock the boat , forget morality , sing along in tune with the PR handouts and share in the bonanza , even if it means turning a blind eye to the oppression of the Burmese.
Apparently no member of the Legislative Assembly is a member of Amnesty International. Not that it means anything when you recall that Phil Ruddock is a member . Dare it be mentioned that Mrs Laura Bush urged the world not to participate in an auction organised by the Burmese generals to flog off resources such as emeralds for a quick buck . If the wife of the US president saw fit to speak out against the generals, surely somebody in the NT government with intestinal fortitude could whisper boo from atop Uluru during the witching hour.
Perhaps the best course of action , using the good offices of the Federal Government , with the help of the diplomatic skills of PM Rudd , would be an approach to the nifty French President,Nicolas Sarkozy. Against a torrent of warnings by the Chinese, President Sarkozy recently was the only European head of state to meet the Dalai Lama . In the past, the French government has protected Total from European Union calls for strong action against the Burmese regime.
The French are now said to be keen to improve their image in the world , so why not ask President Sarkozy to use his influence on Total to improve the conditions of the Burmese populace? Medecins Sans Frontieres has been active in Burma since 1999, but is expected to pull out at the end of this year.
A news item this very day said Japan is concerned about the growing number of refugees from countries such as Burma flooding into the country. An Inpex spokesman , spreading pre- Xmas joy and goodwill in the Territory, recently said the company planned to have a beneficial working relationship with the Darwin community . It is desirable for Total to have a similar attitude to the people of Burma where the legitimate, democratically elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi , has been under house arrest for for 13 years with no sign of release . Surely, somebody in the Territory has a conscience or have we all crept into the sheltered manger, waiting for men from the East bearing gold, frankincense, myrrh and megabucks?
