In January, Aung San Suu Kyi, 62, voiced her growing frustration with the lack of progress in "national reconciliation" talks with the ruling military junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). In the aftermath of the Saffron Revolution, and the violent suppression of protests last September, a crescendo of international pressure built up against the SPDC, including from China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, long known for ignoring human rights abuses in Burma (Myanmar). United Nations Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari was handed the task of nudging the generals toward a political transition.
The SPDC, however, does not seem interested in the type of power-sharing transition that either the international community or Suu Kyi has in mind. It remains committed to its own seven-step "road map" to democracy, one that has little credibility either inside or outside Burma. In mid-February it announced plans to hurriedly hold a referendum on a new constitution in May, allowing very little time for people to assess the document. Assuming the constitution is "approved," elections will follow in 2010.
In "Perfect Hostage," Justin Wintle reminds us of the "rigged" referendum held to gain popular endorsement for the 1974 Constitution (suspended by the current junta two decades ago), raising concerns that this year's referendum may also prove a sham. Wintle suggests that the SPDC's sporadic talks with Suu Kyi were aimed at damage control. She seems to agree, recently telling the Burmese to expect the worst.