EuroBurmanet - IHT FRONT PAGE CENTE

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Subject: EuroBurmanet - IHT FRONT PAGE CENTER

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Headline: IHT Front Page, Four Columns Top Center " Pressure Mounts on 
Burma's Junta, US Bans Visits, and ASEAN Members Show Doubts on 
Membership
Keywords: NLD ban,  National League for Democracy (NLD), Aung San Suu 
Kyi, human rights, political prisoners, torture, murder, execution, 
rape, Slorc abuses, forced labor, forced relocation, NLD Congress 
9/96,NLD arrests, NLD crackdown 9/96,
Date: 1996 
Source: BNN,FBC,International Herald Tribune (Michael Richardson) 
<iht@xxxxxxx>
Section: ebn
Rubrique: main

SINGAPORE -- International pressure for democratic change in Burma 
increased significantly Thursday as the United States banned Burmese 
leaders from entering, and several Southeast Asian countriess indicated 
growing disillusionment with the military regime in Rangoon.

President Bill Clinton signed a proclamation halthing the entry into the 
United States of anyone "formulating, implementing  or benefiting  from 
policies that are impeding the transition to democracy in Burma, and 
their immediate family members. " 

Mike McCurry, the White House spokesman, said that Mr. Clington acted 
after reports that Burmese authorities had aarrested or detained 
hundreds of democracy activists in the last few days.

Mr. Clinton has also said he will support a bill, introduced in 
Congress, that would allow him to ban new U.S. investment in Burma if 
there is large-scale repression against the opposition or if the 
military regime harms, rearrests or exiles the opposition leader Daw 
Aung San Suu Kyi..

Some Southeast Asian countries, embarrassed by increasing repression in 
Burma, also indicated for the first time that they might not support an 
application by the military regime there for memebership in ASEAN unles 
it permits a more open society. Burma was accepted as an observer by the 
organization in July.

Officials of the Philippines and Thailand said Thursday that their 
countries would be reluctant to endorse Burma's requrest to join ASEAN, 
the Association of South East Asian Nations, next year if the recent 
crackdown onthe urmese opposition continued.

Malaysia, one of the strongest supporters of Burmese membership, 
confirmed that the group's previous consensus had been broken byu 
Rangoon's actions.

"We view what is happening in Burma with some concern and hope the 
government of Burma will be able to deal with it in a manner acceptable 
to all, " said Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Malaysia's foreign minister. 

He added that Burma's opportunity to join ASEAN was still there but 
would need " a full consensus ".

ASEAN is the region's premier political "club"; and the Burmese junta 
recently submitted a formal application to join. In doing so, critics 
said, it was seeking to legitimize its rule and deflect international 
pressure for rapid reform, especially from the West.

The organization's members -- Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the 
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- as well as China havae 
until now resisted Western pressure for a harsher policy on Burma, 
including possible sanctions.

Instead ASEAN has pursued "constructive engagement" with Rangoon, using 
economic influence and quiet persuasion rather than public confrontation 
to try to bring about gradual change.

But officials said that Burma's renewed crackdown since Friday onthe 
opposition National League for Democracy and its leader, Daw Aung San 
Suu Kyi, had made it more difficult for the organization to agree to 
Rangoon's request for membership, although the policy of construcive 
engagement was unlikely to be abandoned.

The United Nations General Assembly, which is meeting in New York, is 
soon expected to pass a strongly worded resolution calling for an end to 
human rights abuses in Burma, the release of all political detainees and 
the opening of a dialogue between the military and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

The National League for Democracy won a landslide victory in a 1990 
general election in Burma. Although voiting was organized by the 
military, it refused to recognize the results.

A Philipping official said Thrusday that given what whas happening in 
Burma and the highly critical reaction of an overwhelming majority of UN 
members, "ASEAN does not want to have its international credentials 
tarnished by opening its doors prematurely to Rangoon and thus appearing 
to condone its repression."

Fidel Ramos, the Philippine president, indicated Wednesday that ASEAN 
leaders were likely to review Burma's application for membership at an 
informal summit meeting in Jakarta on Nov.30.

Making it clear that he regarded reform as a condition  for membership, 
Mr. Ramos said that " in the meantime " Burma  was expected to meet 
ASEAN standards for a democratic system as well as for liberalized 
trade.

On a vist to Washington on Monday, Tony Tan, Siongapore's deputy prime 
minister, said that Singapore hoped the Burmese government "will be able 
to make progress toward becoming a more open government -- something 
more in line with the other ASEAN countries.




Metta, thank you, peace, happiness and long life. Virtually yours, 
Dawn Star  (Paris)  <cd@xxxxxxx>

Burmanet / TOTAL Coordinator (France) 
Euro-Burmanet  (Paris, France) 
Free Burma Coalition
http://wicip.org/fbc/ 

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Norway NCGUB you must make e-mail address to 
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level two (2)NCGUB Europe, U Nwe Aung 
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All members of the House can be reached through the Congressional 
Switchboard, at (202) 224-3121. 
While some members have E-mail, electronic communication is not as 
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President William Clinton
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Warren Christopher
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All members of the US House of Representatives can be reached through 
the Congressional Switchboard, at (202) 224-3121

While some members have E-mail, electronic communication is not as 
effective as a
telephone call or fax. Sent a letter, mark Free Burma Now, on the 
envelop. Its effective.

President William Clinton
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington DC 20500
(202) 456-1414

Warren Christopher
Secretary of State
Department of State
2201 C. Street NW
Washington DC 20520
(202) 647-4000

National Security Advisor Anthony Lake
National Security Council
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington DC 20500
(202) 456-9481

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