Burma protest needs world support

Buddhist monks in Myanmar are loosening the grip of what President Bush described as "a 19-year reign of fear" when he spoke to the United Nations on Tuesday. But fear could return if the military regime again resorts to ruthless violence to quell the protest marches that have renewed the long-postponed hope that democracy can be restored and prosperity returned to the country still known throughout the world as Burma.

It was feared from the start of the monks' courageous pro-democracy campaign that the generals would respond as they did two decades ago by ordering their troops to shoot to kill. At least 3,000 people were slaughtered, creating a climate of fear that has remained to this day.

So far, the military have shown some restraint. Reports reaching Western media say that troops have been shooting over the heads of crowds of thousands led by a new generation of saffron-robed monks. There are reports of monks being brutally beaten and hauled off by the hundreds to jail. The Associated Press reported as many as eight deaths. But the feared massacre has not taken place, although the military government now appears to be trying to cut off Internet and telephone communication with the outside world.

There is a difference between 1988 and now. The military commanders who seized power then and went on to crush Burma's young democracy and place elected President Aung San Suu Kyi under arrest are today old and ailing. The monks who are leading today's pro-democracy movement are young and determined.

The international context has also changed. China's Communist government is now neo-capitalist and no longer in tune with Myanmar's totalitarian rulers. While China and, shamefully, Vladimir Putin's "democratic" Russia argue that the confrontation between the military and the monks and their supporters is a "purely internal matter," the world is watching intently to see what side they are on. China has to pay attention to its image as it prepares to host the Olympic Games and a senior Chinese diplomat is on record telling the visiting Myanmar foreign minister, "China wholeheartedly hopes that Myanmar will push forward a democracy process that is appropriate for the country." Russia faces the prospect of losing the respect of all democratic nations if it blocks efforts by the United Nations to encourage dialogue between the people of Burma, represented today by the brave monks and the kindred souls who are marching with them.

On Tuesday President Bush reminded U.N. members, "The mission of the United Nations requires liberating people from tyranny and violence." He stated, "Americans are outraged by the situation in Burma" and announced that sanctions, which already include an import ban and investment restrictions, will be widened to deny visas to military leaders. The U.S. is also seeking cooperation to freeze the regime's foreign bank accounts.

The international community, working through the United Nations and individually, must bring the utmost pressure on the ruling junta to yield to the wishes of the people. Myanmar can become Burma — the name that is still used by the opposition — again. The fabled country has the potential to become one of the most vibrant and prosperous countries in Asia. It could also serve as an example of the power of peaceful protest in overcoming repressive tyranny.

May the prayers of the civilized world strengthen the will of the monks and their followers and shame the military into withdrawing to their barracks.