Lee Berthiaume,
Postmedia - OCTOBER 24, 2012
OTTAWA — The Conservative
government has been accused of trying to hide the visit earlier this month of Burma’s
foreign affairs minister.
The Conservative government has made a big deal of
highlighting Canada’s
re-engagement with Burma
after years of frozen relations caused by the Southeast Asian nation’s
poor record on human rights and democracy.
The government has pledged to open a new embassy in Burma, which is also known as Myanmar, while Foreign Affairs
Minister John Baird and International Trade Minister Ed Fast have made separate
visits.
Not by coincidence, Canadian companies in the oil, gas and
mining sectors have made noises they are very interested in breaking into the
market, which is already rife with similar firms from the U.S., Europe and Asia.]
This has prompted concerns business interests will
supercede human rights and democratic progress, which are still in a tenuous
situation despite recent improvements.
From Oct. 2-4, Burmese Foreign Minister Wunna
Maung’s visited Ottawa
— the first by a Burmese foreign minister since 1969 — as part of
what appears to be a round-the-world tour to reach out to partners and put a
nail in his country’s international isolation.
But neither Foreign Affairs nor the government went
out of their way to call attention to the visit — prompting a strong
reaction from one pro-democracy Burmese group in Canada.
The Canadian Friends of Burma, which has been the most
outspoken voice on democracy in Burma
over the years, said it only learned of Maung’s visit through the Asian
nation’s state-run media.
In a statement, the group said “it is unnecessary
— possibly unprecedented — for the Government of Canada to keep
such a ministerial visit secret.”
“Therefore, we urge the Government of Canada,
especially foreign affairs officials, to be more transparent on policymaking in
Burma.”
A Conservative official dismissed the concerns, noting
a photo of Maung and Baird was posted to the Foreign Affairs website, the
official noted, while the Burmese foreign minister was recognized in the House
of Commons gallery after Question Period.
“Anyone who follows Burma’s political development
would have known the foreign minister was visiting,” the official said.
“So it was hardly secret.”
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