L.A TIMES ON "ALBRIGHT-BURMA":Albri

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Subject: L.A TIMES ON "ALBRIGHT-BURMA":Albright calls Burma `an anomaly' in Asia 

Albright calls Burma `an anomaly' in Asia 28/7

                              By Robin Wright
                           LOS ANGELES TIMES


KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- In an unusually tough diplomatic barrage,
Secretary of State
Madeleine K. Albright accused the government of Burma yesterday of
everything from profiting
from drug trafficking to routinely closing schools in a bid to prevent
political unrest, acts she said
made it ``an anomaly'' in Asia.

Albright felt compelled to ``vigorously'' dispute a presentation by Burma --
making its debut at the
annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, here
-- about the state
of affairs in the junta-ruled nation, according to U.S. officials.

One U.S. official called the Burma presentation ``Orwellian,'' while State
Department spokesman
Nicholas Burns labeled it ``illusory and self-serving'' with ``no
resemblance'' to reality.

``Burma is the only member of ASEAN singled out by the U.N. General Assembly
for refusing to
honor election results, the only member where the state and society are
fundamentally at odds,''
Albright said.

``Burma is also the only member of ASEAN where the government protects and
profits from the
drug trade. In fact, Burma's top traffickers have become leading investors
in its economy and
leading lights in its new political order. Drug money is laundered with such
impunity in Burma that it
taints legitimate investment.''

In Burma, she noted, owning a fax machine is illegal, while police regularly
arrest legitimate
business people in an attempt to stop currency fluctuations.

Albright appealed to ASEAN to take the lead in promoting democratic reforms
and a dialogue
between the junta and opposition leaders. The junta blocked democratically
elected leaders from
taking office in 1990.

``We must insist that we work together to promote conditions within Burma
that will lead toward
true democracy and permit its genuine integration into this region,'' she
said in an official U.S.
statement introduced earlier at the summit. ``Now more than ever, Burma's
problems need an
ASEAN solution.''

Burma was formally admitted this year to ASEAN, an increasingly powerful
economic and
political bloc, over strong U.S. objections. The other eight members are
Malaysia, Indonesia, the
Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei and Laos, another new member.

Unless a ``dialogue of reconciliation'' opens the way for installation of an
accountable government,
Burma will remain outside the Southeast Asian mainstream and isolated from
the global economy,
Albright warned. ``This is not an admonition but an objective fact we must
acknowledge.''