Confident China and Paranoid Myanmar

Natural tragedies have struck both Myanmar and China in the recent past. However, there could not be more stark contrast in the response to the disasters from Myanmar and China. Myanmar has been diffident and paranoid but China has been confident and open.

Myanmar was struck with a devastating cyclone --Nargis -- which has killed tens of thousands of men, women and children. Death in Myanmar has come not only from the cyclone but from lack of sustained relief efforts -- so there have been deaths due to starvation and disease. The current death toll is at nearly 78,000, though expected to surpass 100,000. Upto 2.5 million people are considered severely affected.

In China, more than 34,000 are reported dead and 4.8 million have been left homeless from the recent earthquake and its aftershocks.

The two different responses from the Myanmar military junta on Myanmar and the China's political leadership reflect on the strength of the two societies. In Myanmar, the military junta refused to give information about the scope of the disaster and the necessary relief efforts. The junta has refused to let reporters visit the disaster area. No external aid was sought, and even when offered was turned down -- aid from the U.S. and even the U.N. was turned down. Even threats from the outside did little to nudge the military junta. And finally, when the relief supplies were distributed the junta converted the exercise into a propaganda effort by placing the names of the generals prominently on the relief goods.

There was no thoughtful remembrance of the dead -- only when China announced a national mourning did Myanmar follow suit.

Myanmar's crass, class-less and paranoid response is born out of the anxiety and weakness of its military rulers. It is a tragedy that the world has not pushed the military rulers hard. The U.S. and other societies do not want to use their political and diplomatic capital on Myanmar because Myanmar is not in their strategic interest.

On the other hand, China was most open and responsive. Within 14 minutes of the tragedy, Chinese officials rushed relief efforts to the disaster area. The authorities also made all the information and data available to the citizens, reporters, aid-workers, and others. China warned the disaster-area citizens of possible aftershocks and their possible fall-outs. While China is a resource-strong society, it did not turn down aid.

China paused the Olympic torch relay, and paid national homage to the dead. China's President, Hu Jintao, and Prime Minister, Wen Jiabo, have made public visits to the disaster-stricken area.

China's thoughtful and dignified response speaks volumes of its strength and confidence. China now should rightfully edge the paranoid Myanmar regime into more political accountability -- but for China's patronization of Myanmar, it would be difficult for the military junta in Myanmar to defy the basic human decency and plod on.