The British government has concluded that the rabid abuse of human rights by Burma's military government is the principle reason for the country's myriad of problems.
In its annual report on the global human rights situation, the United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) states, "The Burmese regime's persistent violations of human rights – not least the denial to its citizens of the right to take part in the government of their own country – is at the heart of Burma's political, economic and social problems."
Calling for the Burmese government to respect the freedom of media, trade unions and the judiciary, the FCO cautions that despite modest progress in some areas, including a working arrangement with the International Labor Organization, Burma remains a country in the grips of corruption, patronage, impunity and a failing economy.
With more than 30 percent of the Burmese population believed to live on less than one dollar a day, the FCO warns that "without serious progress on political and economic reform, leading to a transparent, accountable and inclusive government that respects human rights, the situation in Burma will continue to deteriorate."
Speaking at the tome's official launching Tuesday in London, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband remarked that the regime's heavy-handed response to last years peaceful protests "frustrated the demands of millions of decent people in Burma."
Though admitting that the military has an important role to play within Burmese society, the FCO emphatically states that its role cannot be one of military dictatorship.
The FCO asserts that the British Embassy in Rangoon played a crucial part during last year's Saffron Revolution, "immediately" responding to the crisis and playing "a leading role in bringing details of the human rights abuses to the attention of the world."
From its outpost in Rangoon, the British Embassy is said to actively monitor the human rights situation in Burma and serve as a conduit for European Union initiatives aimed at protecting human rights defenders.
Looking forward, the United Kingdom will continue to support the mission of the UN Special Envoy to Burma and insist that Burma's generals work with the United Nations and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The report also alleges that, "It is widely recognized, including by countries in the region, that the regime's ongoing denial of the real situation in Burma is both unacceptable and unsustainable." However Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, following a visit this month to Naypyitaw, Burma's capital, severely downplayed the dire condition of human rights and democracy in Burma.
Having already approved through the Department for International Development a doubling in aid assistance to Burma by 2010, to approximately $36 million, the FCO maintains that the British government stands ready to assist with even greater financial aid if there should occur "genuine political change."
