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Burmese Leader Shrugs Off U.S
- Subject: Burmese Leader Shrugs Off U.S
- From: moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 26 Apr 1997 19:08:00
Burmese Leader Shrugs Off U.S
Saturday, April 26, 1997 12:01 pm EDT
RANGOON, Burma (AP) -- A senior leader of Burma's
ruling
military shrugged off U.S. economic sanctions and
vowed not to
change the country's policies.
Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt also lashed out at Burma's
pro-democracy
forces led by Aung San Suu Kyi, who has praised
President
Clinton for imposing the sanctions, government
newspapers
reported Saturday.
Clinton said Tuesday he would bar new U.S.
investments in Burma
because of its military rulers' ``severe
repression'' of the
democratic opposition.
``The United States is trying to put the government
and the people
in a dilemma by imposing economic sanctions,'' Khin
Nyunt was
quoted as saying. ``But there is no need to worry.
With firm
conviction and unity, we will strive hard to
realize our objectives.''
The secretary of the ruling State Law and Order
Restoration
Council spoke to civil servants Friday in Pyinmana,
200 miles
north of Rangoon. Khin Nyunt charged that ``adopted
children of
the neo-colonialists'' were attempting to incite
unrest and grab
power in Burma. This term is often used by the
military to refer to
Suu Kyi's opposition group.
Amnesty International, the London-based human
rights group, said
1996 was the worst year in history for human rights
in Burma,
citing the arrest of thousands of democracy
activists, a
government-orchestrated mob attack on Suu Kyi and
continued
harassment of all opposition.
The U.S. sanctions have been praised by democracy
advocates
around the world, while business leaders and
Burma's allies in
Southeast Asia have sharply criticized them.
Burma's military regime has said the unilateral
sanctions would hurt
only U.S. businesses that would lose out on the
opportunity to
invest in Burma, also known as Myanmar.