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Massachusetts Burma Roundtable



MASSACHUSETTS BURMA ROUNDTABLE

THANK SENATORS KENNEDY AND KERRY!

July 26, 1996

1.	We narrowly lose the vote but gain Senator Kerry's support
2.	August Burma Roundtable
3.	NEW: List of Burma Roundtable Projects
4.      Full text of Cohen/Feinstein amendment

1	Narrow Loss; Important Gain

It gives me great pleasure to announce that last night, exactly one month
after Governor William Weld signed the Massachusetts Burma bill into law,
both Senator Edward Kennedy AND Senator John Kerry voted in support of tough
economic sanctions on Burma.

Senators Mitch McConnell (R, KY) and Daniel Moynihan (D, NY) had succesfully
attached to the Foreign Operations Appropriation Act (HR.3540) an amendment
that imposed sanctions on Burma, including a ban on US investment. 

However, with support from the State Department and the oil companies,
Senators Cohen and Feinstein successfully introduced a watered down measure
that replaced the McConnell/Moynihan language after a procedural vote on the
Senate floor of 54 to 45. The Cohen/Feinstein amendment is now part of
HR.2540 as the bill goes to the House/Senate conference committee. (The full
text of the Cohen/Feinstein amendment is at the end of this message.)

Both Senator Kennedy And Senator Kerry supported the tougher
McConnell/Moynihan language. Gaining Senator Kerry's support is a major
achievement of grassroots Massachusetts activists.  By supporting us,
Senator Kerry went against the recommendation of both his close friend,
Thomas Vallely and the State Department. 

According to a Kerry staffer, the Senator received on this issue over 100
letters and 5 to 10 phone calls daily in the days leading up to the vote.
Our efforts were clearly noticed and helped make the difference.

Please write and thank both our Senators for supporting tough sanctions on
Burma.

Senator Edward Kennedy			
United States Senate				
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4543
(202) 224-2417 fax
senator@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx				

Senator John Kerry 
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-2742
(202) 224-8525 fax
john_kerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Use the Congressional Switchboard toll-free at: (800) 872-3524

DON'T FORGET THE HOUSE BILL

Please also continue to write your US Representative to ask that he support
and co-sponsor the "Burma Freedom and Democracy Act" (HR.2892).  US
Representatives Barney Frank, Marty Meehan and John Olver have already
co-sponsored the bill. 

Let's get the remaining seven members of the Massachusetts House delegation
on board this bill! The more letters we write now, the more likely we'll
have our delegation nailed down once Burma sanctions come to a head in the
House.

2.	August Burma Roundtable

The next Roundtable is at 7pm on Tuesday, August 6.  The meeting will take
place at the office of Franklin Research & Development, 711 Atlantic Avenue,
4th Floor, Boston, MA 02111. The office is located just across the road from
South Station.

Last meeting, several Roundtable participants volunteered to work on new
projects on issues including events, outreach, municipal selective
purchasing laws.  At the end of this message, you will find a tentative list
of projects and coordinators. Please let me know of any other activities
that need to be added.

Please come to the next Roundtable meeting as we develop this projects
further. If you want to get involved, please feel free to contact the
coordinators directly.

Simon Billenness
Franklin Research & Development, 711 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02111
(617) 423 6655 x 225			simon_billenness@xxxxxxxxxxxx

3. 	Massachusetts Burma Action  Projects

* Burmese Buddhist Monk Visits Massachusetts

Thegon Sayadaw, the Venerable Nyanissara, is the abbot of Sitagu Vihara
Monastery at Sagaing Hill near Mandalay in Burma.  He is a widely published
religious writer and author of two books in English: The Buddha and His
Noble Path and The Beauty of Buddhism.  Presently, he is building a Teravada
Buddhisteducational center in Austin, Texas.

He will be at the First Parish Church, 382 Walnut Street, Brookline on
Saturday, August 17.  At 1pm there will be a ceremony in Burmese. At 3pm
there will be a second ceremony in English.

For more details, contact Tin Tin Nyo at (617) 388-0038

* Tabling at the Buddhism in America Conference

On January 17-19, Boston will host the annual Buddhism in America conference
on meditation. Gary Dmytryk plans to have a table at the conference on Burma
activism. If you are interested in donating time on the day or money (the
table cots $250), contact Gary Dmytryk at (617) 491-1197.

* Outreach to Labor, Religious Communities and Boston Against Drugs

Nanette Skiba is coordinating outreach to labor, religious communities and
BostonAgainst Drugs. She is working on an outreach event, probably on the
Wednesday or Thursday after Labor Day. You can reach Nanette at (617)
524-0045 or 9120nskib@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

* Municipal Selective Purchasing Laws

Since the Massachusetts Burma law only affects state government spending,
there is a need to lobby cities in Massachusetts to enact similar Burma
selective purchasing legislation.

Simon Billenness is working with others to approach council members in
Boston and Cambridge. For materials and advice on how to enact selective
purchasing laws in your home town, contact Simon Billenness at (617) 423
6655 x 225 or simon_billenness@xxxxxxxxxxxx 

* Lobbying Washington

We continue to lobby our US Senators and Representatives to support economic
sanctions on Burma.  In August, we hope to set up meetings with each of US
Senators and Representatives.  If you are interested in joining these
meetings, contact Simon Billenness at (617) 423 6655 x 225
(simon_billenness@xxxxxxxxxxxx) or Julia Carpenter, the CPPAX Isues Director
at (617) 426 3040 (cppax@xxxxxxx).

* New England Student Campaign

Several New England student activists are organizing a workshop on Burma
activism at the Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC) regional
meeting in October. For more details, contact Kathy Polias at
kpolias@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx or Jaime Viola at (203) 775-9388 or momchez@xxxxxxxx

---------------------------------------------

4. Full Text of Cohen/Feinstein Amendment

Purpose: To promote the improvement of the lives of the peoples of Burma
through democratization, market reforms and personal freedom.

passed July 25, 1996
Vote: 54-45

AMENDMENT NO 5019

By Sen. William Cohen (R-Maine) and others {Sen. Dianne Feinstein
(D-Calif.) Sen. Don Nickles (R-Okla.)

        On page 188, strike lines 3 through 22 and insert the following:

                POLICY TOWARD BURMA

        Sec. 569. (a) Until such time as the President determines and
certifies to Congress that Burma has made measurable and substantial
progress in improving human rights practices and implementing democratic
government, the following sanctions shall be imposed on Burma:

                (1) Bilateral assistance.-There shall be no United States
assistance to the Government of Burma, other than:
                        (A) humanitarian assistance,
                        (B) counter-narcotics assistance under chapter 8 of
part I of teh Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, or crop substitution
assistance, if the Secretary of State certifies to the appropriate
congressional committees that:
                                
                                i) the Government of Burma is fully
cooperating with the U.S. counter-narcotics efforts, and

                                ii) the programs are fully consistent with
the United States human rights concerns in Burma and serve the United States
national interest, and

                        (C) assistance promoting human rights and democratic
                        values.
                (2) Multilateral Assistance.- The Secretary of the Treasury
shalll instruct the United States executive director of each international
financial institution to vote against any loan or other utilization of
funds of the respective bank to or for Burma.
                (3) Visas.-Except as required by treaty obligations or to
staff the Burmese mission to the United States, the United States shall not
grant entry visas to any Burmese government official.

                (b) Conditional sanctions.-The President shall prohibit
United States persons from new investment in Burma, if the President
determines and certifies to Congress that, after the date of enactment of
this act, the Government of Burma has physically harmed, rearrested for
political acts, or exiled Daw Aung San Suu Kyi or has committed large-scale
repression of or violence against the democratic oppression.

                (c) Multilateral strategy.-The President shall seek to
develop, in coordination with members of ASEAN and other countries having
major trading and investment interests in Burma, a comprehensive,
multilateral strategy to bring democracy to and improve human rights
practices and the quality of life in Burma, including the development of a
dialogue between the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) and
democratic opposition groups within Burma.

                (d) Presidential reports.-Every six months following the
enactment of this act, the President shall report to the Chairman of the
Committee on International Relations and the House of Senate Appropriation
Committees as the following:
                (1) progress toward democratization in Burma;
                (2) progress on improving the quality of the Burmese
people, including progress on market reforms, living standards, use of
forced labor in the tourism industry, and environmental quality; and
                (3) progress made in development the strategy referred to
in subsection (c).

                (c) Waiver authority.-The President shall have the
authority to waive, temporarily or permanently, any sanction referred to in
subsection (a) or subsection (b) if he determines and certifies to congress
that the application of such sanction would be contrary to the national
security interests of the United States.

                (f) Definitions.-
                (1) The term "international financial institutions" shall
include the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the
International Development Association, the International Finance
Corporation, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, the Asian
Development bank, and the International Monetary Fund.
                (2) The term "new investment" shall mean any of the
following activities if such an activity is undertaken pursuant to an
agreement, or pursuant to the exercise of rights under such an agreement,
that is entered into with the Government of Burma or a non-governmental
entity in Burma, on or after the date of the certification under subsection
(b):
                        (A) the entry into a contract that includes the
        economical development of resources located in Burma, or the entry into
        a contract providing for the general supervision and guarantee of
        another person's performance of such a contract;

                        (B) the purchase of a share of ownership, including an
        equity interest, in that development;

                        (C) the entry into a contract providing for the
        participation in royalties, earnings, or profits in that development,
        without regard to the form of the participation;

provided that the term "new investment" does not include the entry into,
performance of, or financing of a contract to sell or purchase goods,
services, or technology.

//end text//