Duty of Care
| 09:09 UK time, Friday, 9 May 2008
It's a statement of the brutally obvious to say that Burma's military regime doesn't care for its people.
I've never been to Burma. But I've lived or worked in several countries run by an armed elite that operates on the principle that only they know what's good for the country - and miraculously the way they run things matches exactly the increase of the leaders' own personal wealth and privilege.
The population, outwardly and ostentatiously grateful for the strong guidance provided by the leadership, is forced to survive day-to-day by different forms of subterfuge and petty theft.
The determination of the Burmese military to keep foreign aid workers out whatever the cost to life and health of the people sets the international community another challenge it seems ill prepared to meet. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon can ask nicely, but can he go further?
If not, can the coalition of the willing that used massive military force to rescue Kosovar Albanians from forced marches to exile in 1998/9 summon up the will to save a million Burmans from their government's inaction?
Once again, 'international community' might prove to be a modern rewriting of Mahatma Ghandi's description of 'British civilisation' - nice idea when it happens.
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