As this weekend’s Wilton Park gathering on Burma draws near, criticism is growing among Burmese dissidents and activists that it may become a forum for Rangoon regime apologists, and therefore a waste of time.

The September 4-6 meeting in Surrey, England is fine in theory, organized as it is by the British Government under its Strategy Unit’s framework for identifying Countries at Risk of Instability. But the contentious issue is who is taking part? In the past, both the Burmese junta and opposition groups in exile have held such seminars, but they invite like-minded people. This one is not so clear-cut.

So far, we learn about 30 people have been invited, half of them Burmese living outside the country. But a large degree of secrecy hangs over the actual line-up of those attending, leading to suspicions.

Burma’s main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, and Burmese ethnic minority groups have expressed unhappiness at not being invited. But even if their members were invited, it is doubtful they would be granted permits to leave Burma.

British official sources said people have been invited to attend on an individual basis. To be fair, a number of activists and scholars known to be critical of the regime have been invited. But some say their invitations were given reluctantly.

Overall, the lack of clear information given out about the affair has provoked some understandable skepticism among vocal Burmese exile groups. There was similar cynicism about a “Burma Day 2005” meeting held in Brussels in April by the European Commission.

But that meeting appeared to be more clearly uncritical of the Burmese regime, with almost no opponents of the regime invited. Its cornerstone was a controversial report on the situation in Burma by two known regime apologists, academic Robert Taylor and Morten Pedersen, of the International Crisis Group. Their report proposed easing of EU sanctions against Burma and engagement with the regime. Although EU officials subsequently said there was no plan to loosen sanctions, the meeting ended in controversy.

There has been no official announcement of an agenda at the upcoming Wilton Park meeting, but it is understood topics at the meeting will involve state security, human security and the economic and political situation in the country. The issues will be discussed among individual participants, “un-representing” any political parties or groups.

The question is whether these individuals, not representing any organizations, will be speaking only for themselves. If so, how can any coherent political and social strategies be put forward? The meeting may be well intended, but it is difficult to see how individuals putting forward an array of differing ideas on how to tackle Burma’s problems can produce any lasting solutions.