The UK's role in the Burma tragedy

[CockneyMafia]

Did anyone see the dispatches programme on Burma last night on Channel 4?

 

http://www.channel4.com/news/microsites/D/dispatches2006/burma/index.html

 

I think anyone who argues that that the UK does not have a responsibility to deal with refugees from this country (as per a thread a few months back) should make an attempt to watch this programme if and when it is repeated.

 

One of the regime's pillars of financial revenue, the French oil company Total is estimated by the Burma Campaign UK to bring as much as £200m in every year. Its Yadana pipeline has been accused of being associated with organisations perpetrating serious human rights abuses. But the company denies this, and maintains it plays a positive role.

 

Increasing evidence that Britain is being used to channel new investment into Burma has been denied by the Government. Mark Farmaner, of the Burma Campaign UK, says: "Foreign companies are using British dependent territories to channel new investment to Burma so that Britain is not directly implicated."

 

It transpires the UK could effectively end legislation that allows this channelling to happen, but, in short, can’t be bothered to do it.

 

All this was revealed alongside a backdrop of a woman picking through her murdered brothers rotting corpse for anything salvageable.

 

Powerful, and no doubt totally deliberate imagery. But shocking nonetheless.

[babychickens]

i saw a few minutes of it and changed the channel, as i do whenever anything to do with war comes on - i've learnt to do this over the last year or two because i get so upset about it. frankly things like burma make me ashamed to be british.

[waldershelf]

Did anyone see the dispatches programme on Burma last night on Channel 4?

 

http://www.channel4.com/news/microsites/D/dispatches2006/burma/index.html

 

I think anyone who argues that that the UK does not have a responsibility to deal with refugees from this country (as per a thread a few months back) should make an attempt to watch this programme if and when it is repeated.

 

One of the regime's pillars of financial revenue, the French oil company Total is estimated by the Burma Campaign UK to bring as much as £200m in every year. Its Yadana pipeline has been accused of being associated with organisations perpetrating serious human rights abuses. But the company denies this, and maintains it plays a positive role.

 

Increasing evidence that Britain is being used to channel new investment into Burma has been denied by the Government. Mark Farmaner, of the Burma Campaign UK, says: "Foreign companies are using British dependent territories to channel new investment to Burma so that Britain is not directly implicated."

 

It transpires the UK could effectively end legislation that allows this channelling to happen, but, in short, can’t be bothered to do it.

 

All this was revealed alongside a backdrop of a woman picking through her murdered brothers rotting corpse for anything salvageable.

 

Powerful, and no doubt totally deliberate imagery. But shocking nonetheless.

I'm sorry but why does the activities of business operating legally from British dependant territories mean we have a responsibility for the displaced persons from Burma or any of their other problems for that matter. We no longer have the empire or any legacy responsibility for it. We are a small island clinging on to the northern edge of Europe and trying our best to survive. Queen Victoria is not on the throne anymore, we are not a superpower anymore, the world is not our problem anymore. We should concentrate on looking after our own interests not those of remote nations who will in the long run sort themselves out, interfering never works.