Turning POINT FOR INDIAN POLICY ON BURMA

It is time for India to change its policy on Burma from pro-fascism to pro-democracy and 2006 is the critical point for India.

To quote an article dated 15 Jan 2006 from Indiadaily.com, "The Billion-Dollar Pipeline of Bangladesh-Burma-India is a Pipedream", it is stated there that the Petroleum Ministry Joint Secretary Tyagi, on the previous weekend (circa 7 Jan) , cut short his trip in Rangoon when the Burmese regime, the ridiculously misnamed State "Peace and Democracy" Council (SPDC), told him that they had already agreed to sell their natural gas to China and not to India. This is the gas field of Block A in the Bay of Bengal, in which Indian and Korean companies played a huge role.

What a loss to India! The Chinese will get 6.5 trillion cu.ft. over a 30 year period through a secret Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that SPDC signed with China on 7 December 2005 ( which, by the way, is the 54th anniversary of the sneak Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, igniting WW2 in the Pacific).

India, despite its democratic traditions, has been shamelessly trying to woo the fascist SPDC regime for years despite pleas from Ethno-Democracy groups. India has been providing military aid, open trade, and diplomatic recognition, all in the hopes of tempting it away from China -- all in vain. SPDC will brazenly pretend to be India's friend and take everything it gets, while all the time it has already turned Burma into a vassal state of China in all but name. China has been militarily aiding, trading, and diplomatically supporting the SPDC regime since it came to power after the bloody massacres of 1988 and went far ahead of India in aligning the SPDC under its influence, so much so that it has become no better than a puppet regime under its control. Is it any surprise then, that SPDC would kick India in the back on orders from its northern masters?

SPDC waited a MONTH after its betrayal of India on 7 December 2005. It waited and did not tell Secretary Tyagi until AFTER he had arrived in Rangoon which is insult upon injury. After all, Indian companies, together with South Korean companies, played a large role in this project, and they deserved to win this huge contract from SPDC. Instead, the sneaky SPDC, (like the fascist Japanese who trained its progenitor, General Ne Win, during WW2) committed an act of treachery against its neighbor.

This betrayal is going to be one in a series of more disappointments for India in her future dealings with SPDC fascists. Recently, the Naga fighters announced a renewal of fighting. In the news photograph depicting a couple of Naga rebels, their AK 47 assault rifles and their distinctive Mao Zedong caps clearly show where their military support has been coming from. Since the 1970's, support for rebels in India's Northeast has been coming from China. And yet, India is actually hoping that this faithless SPDC will help stamp out China's clients in the Northeast.

The recent battles between Burma SPDC army and rebels from India is just for show in return for the total wipe-out of Chin and Arakan Freedom Forces on the Indian side of the border. India, always very trusting, will do a faithful job of really driving out all these Freedom Fighters, but in return, the SPDC will only make a pretense of token raids, just enough in the media to make it seem like SPDC is a helpful ally of India, when, in reality, it is not. This will ensure that the ethnic conflicts on India's Northeast will continue for decades. It is the strategy of the Chinese Communists that India should be preoccupied in wars of attrition along both of her flanks: the NE rebels and the NW Pakistanis, who, themselves, have been loyal clients of the Chinese in the past half-century.

What, then, should the Indian People do? Urge their government to stop aiding the fascist SPDC and instead support the People of Burma in their struggle for Freedom? Yes. 2006 should be the Turning Point for India. True, the SPDC will retaliate against India but in the long run, this will be only a small sacrifice in comparison to the greater rewards later in the form of a reliable friend and ally --- a Democratic Burma.

India can hold more military maneuvers with SPDC navy and army and continue dreaming of an alliance, but it will be a pipedream, just as the $1 billion gas pipeline has become. Worse yet, the pro-fascist policy of India will certainly arouse more anger and resentment from Burmese People. During a recent conference in India, the MP's attending the session discussed how to help democracy in Burma. Unnamed members of the government told the prodemocracy activists, don't pressure us. Instead, persuade the Indian People to protest the government's profascist policy. In the wake of this SPDC betrayal of India that deprives the People of India of vitally-needed gas, they have every reason to be angry. Yes, as a democracy, Indian leaders will have to listen to their voters. A grass roots campaign will be needed to reach out and appeal to the Indian People.

The People of Burma and India have had a long history of shared traditions. Written language, religion, and culture all came from India in past millenia. What a tragedy that now, oppression is also indirectly coming from India, too. India must stop helping the fascist regime that is oppressing the People of Burma. Helping the fascist SPDC is like an old Burmese proverb: "A-sake pin yay laung." (watering a poisonous plant). Already, it is blooming and bearing poisonous fruit for India -- the painful loss of natural gas and rebel flare-ups are only hints of greater tribulations to come.

There can be no two Superpowers in Asia just as there could never be a peaceful co-existence of the two other Superpowers, the US and the now-defunct USSR. Thus, in this century, there will be a power struggle between India and China. True, India has been trying to promote friendly relationships with China. But it will not work.

History speaks for itself. In this past half-century since Independence, why does Pakistan keep waring with India? Because it is a client catering to China's imperialistic whims. Why have Northeast rebels never been pacified? Because they have always been in stigated by China. Why are there Maoist rebels in Nepal? The litany goes on. The idea is simply to keep India deprived, drained, and distracted. These wars of attrition will prevent India from becoming a top-rate Superpower.

How about the time when Premier Chou En-lai, around 1960, came to India to meet PM Nehru? They made a pact of friendship, the so-called "Chini-Hindi Bai-Bai" (Brother-to-Brother) but no sooner had the Chinese Premier departed when Chinese Forces poured over the border and seized most of Arunachal Pradesh in the Northeast, yet another treacherous war. The Bai-Bai had become Bang-Bang. No, China cannot be trusted by India. China took away India's land in the Northeast, now it has taken away the natural gas from the East. What next?

To compound the injury, consider the timing. While Petroleum Secretary Tyagi was going to Rangoon to negotiate the gas deal, at the same time, his boss, the Petroleum Minister Aiyan, was going to Beijing to discuss sharing energy supplies. This is reminiscent of Friendship Treaty of the 1960's. According to the 15 Jan 2006 news article, both the Minister and Secretary were told by their respective hosts about the sneaky done-deal of 7 Dec 2005. In this modern day of the instant Internet, couldn't these two governments at least email India about this deal BEFORE the Petroleum officials flew to each country? They deserved the courtesy of a warning, not just to save the cost of unnecessary flights, but also to save face and avoid humiliation. This just shows how mean the SPDC and its Chinese Masters are, and how they cannot be trusted.

Both India and China have competed in giving military aid to t he fascist SPDC, China being the far superior of the two in this respect. Their aid has enabled the fascist regime to stay powerful and suppress all dissent. As mentioned earlier, Mother India gave culture and tradition to the People of Burma. Thus, they are her cultural children. Do not abandon them to the Fascists. Do not let Burma become a Hatchet of China. The southern Tenasserim coast is like a handle and the rest of Burma is like a triple-pointed hatchet: the western point towards India; the northern and eastern points to China and Thailand. Instead, help Burma become free; in gratitude, not only will India have gas, but also a true ally. Turn Burma into a Spear-head pointing north. Thus, now is literally the Turning Point for India.