I swear its disturbing that Malaysia has refused to criticise Myanmar over the (re-)detention of Nobel Laureate "Aung San Suu Kyi":http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/08/98/burma/140955.stm. Compared to the military junta in Myanmar, the Malaysian government is an angel - but it still doesn't make sense why "we're backing them":http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2003/06/14/2003055205.
She's back in jail, damn
bq. Meanwhile, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, one of the staunchest allies of the generals, said he still believes that the junta should be persuaded rather than pressured into bringing change.
bq. "It is not very constructive if we keep on pressing people. Whenever they comply with something there is no reward; if they do something else, more pressure is applied. It is unproductive," he told reporters Thursday.
For goodness sake, the lady "won the Nobel prize":http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/1991/ ; "locking her up":http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2967452.stm is like putting a target on your back and saying, "Shoot me". Supporting Myanmar or even adopting a conciliatary tone is certainly placing Malaysia in the same field of fire.
Predictably, the US will be "slapping sanctions":http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/EF14Ae02.html on Myanmar. Don't they know that sanctions don't work. It didn't work in Iraq, it doesn't work in North Korea, it certainly hasn't done much to democratise Cuba. Silly people, these Americans.
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