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STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT:OFFICE O
- Subject: STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT:OFFICE O
- From: moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 22 Apr 1997 21:43:00
Subject: STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT:OFFICE OF THE PRESS SECRETARY ON SANCTIONS
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release April 22, 1997
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
Investment Sanctions in Burma
Today I am announcing my decision to impose a ban on new
U.S. investment in Burma.
I have taken this step in response to a constant and
continuing pattern of severe repression by the State Law and
Order Restoration Council (SLORC) in Burma. During the past
seven months, the SLORC has arrested and detained large numbers
of students and opposition supporters, sentenced dozens to
long-term imprisonment, and prevented the expression of political
views by the democratic opposition, including Aung San Suu Kyi
and the National League for Democracy (NLD).
I have therefore imposed sanctions under the terms of the
"Cohen-Feinstein" Amendment, a bipartisan measure that I fully
support. As contained in the Burma policy provision of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1997 (Public Law
104-208), this amendment calls for investment sanctions if the
Government of Burma has physically harmed, rearrested for
political acts, or exiled Aung San Suu Kyi, or has committed
large-scale repression of or violence against the democratic
opposition. It is my judgment that recent actions by the regime
in Rangoon constitute such repression.
Beyond its pattern of repressive human rights practices, the
Burmese authorities also have committed serious abuses in their
recent military campaign against Burma's Karen minority, forcibly
conscripting civilians and compelling thousands to flee into
Thailand. The SLORC regime has overturned the Burmese people?s
democratically elected leadership. Under this brutal military
regime, Burma remains the world's leading producer of opium and
heroin, and tolerates drug trafficking and traffickers in
defiance the views of the international community. The regime
has shown little political will to stop the narcotics exports
from Burma and prevent illicit drug money from enriching those
who would flaunt international rules and profit by destroying the
lives of millions.
The United States and other members of the international
community have firmly and repeatedly taken steps to encourage
democratization and human rights in Burma. Through our action
today, we seek to keep faith with the people of Burma, who made
clear their support for human rights and democracy in 1990
elections which the regime chose to disregard. We join with many
others in the international community calling for reform in
Burma, and we emphasize that the U.S.-Burma relationship will
improve only as there is progress on democratization and respect
for human rights.
In particular, we once again urge the authorities in Burma
to lift restrictions on Aung San Suu Kyi and the political
opposition, respect the rights of free expression, assembly and
association, and undertake a dialogue on Burma's political future
that includes leaders of the NLD and the ethnic minorities.