Nations decry Myanmar violence

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which Myanmar is a member of, said it was “appalled” by the violence. “They expressed their revulsion to Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win,” the group said in a statement Thursday in New York.

Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said he agreed in a phone call with his Chinese counterpart to work together on international efforts to solve the crisis.

“I asked that China, given its close ties with Myanmar, exercise its influence and Premier Wen said he will make such efforts,” Fukuda told reporters in Tokyo on Friday.

China is Myanmar’s main economic and political ally, while Japan is its largest aid donor.

Fukuda ruled out immediate sanctions against Myanmar in connection with the death of a Japanese journalist during the crackdown. Japan has said it would press Myanmar for an explanation of the death of 50-year-old APF News journalist Kenji Nagai on Thursday.

“Sanctions are not the best step to take now,” Fukuda told reporters.

China in a bind
The crackdown put China in a bind. It has developed close diplomatic ties with junta leaders and is a major investor in Myanmar. But with the Beijing Olympics less than a year away, China is eager to fend off criticism that it props up unpopular or abusive regimes.

China has so far refused to intervene, calling the protests an internal affair that did not threaten regional or global stability, the criteria for action by the U.N. Security Council.

Chinese officials say the international community may be overestimating China’s influence over the regime, echoing earlier statements by Chinese academics and diplomats.

On Wednesday, China refused to condemn Myanmar and ruled out imposing sanctions, but for the first time agreed to a U.N. Security Council statement expressing concern over the violent crackdown and urging the military rulers to allow in a U.N. envoy.

Russia expressed concern about the “continuing deterioration of the domestic political situation in Myanmar.”

Protests in Malaysia
In Malaysia’s capital of Kuala Lumpur, about 2,000 Myanmar immigrants rallied peacefully outside their country’s embassy.

Smaller demonstrations against the junta took place in Thailand, Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines.

In London, a dozen Burmese monks led about 200 dissidents and activists in prayer at the door of Myanmar’s Embassy before marching to 10 Downing Street to demonstrate.

U Uttara, a monk who escaped to Britain via Thailand, after being hunted by the military for playing a leading role in the 1988 protests said he was encouraged by the global support for the protesters.

He said he was told that divisions were beginning to show between the generals, with some opposing the crackdown.

“They are shaking, they are scared,” he said. “They don’t know what to do.”

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