"Council-sponsored Task Force to U.S. Government: Go to the United Nations, Condemn Burmese Military Crackdown on Democratic Opposition and Impose Sanctions...WASHINGTON, June 18 - The United States must urge the UN Security Council to hold an emergency session on Burma to condemn the military government's recent crackdown on the democratic opposition there, concludes the newly released Council-sponsored Independent Task Force, "Burma: A Time For Change". In that session, the Security Council should impose targeted sanctions on Burma, including denying visas to leaders of the military regime, freezing their assets, banning new investments and the import of Burmese goods. The Task Force also strongly recommends that the United States adopt an immediate import ban on goods produced in Burma-even if there is no UN Security Council resolution to that effect. At the same time, the United States should increase humanitarian assistance to Burma to help mitigate that country's massive refugee crisis and public health emergencies, particularly the HIV/AIDS epidemic... Among the Task Force's recommendations, the United States should: * Redouble its efforts with the governments of China, Japan and the ASEAN countries--particularly Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia--to press the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) to work with the National League for Democracy (NLD) and ethnic nationalities toward political transition in Burma. * Strongly discourage Japan from forgiving outstanding debt from bilateral grants and loans until the SPDC makes substantial progress on human rights and engages in substantive political dialogue with the democratic opposition. * Urge Asian investors to press the SPDC to begin implementing the economic measures recommended by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank as one of the prerequisites for further investment. * Encourage China to press the Burmese government to reform its economy and move towards democratic governance to promote stability in the region. * Tie increased counter-narcotics cooperation to significant steps by the Burmese government to curb methamphetamine production, to arrest leading traffickers, and to stop channeling drug money into the illicit economy. * Provide increased humanitarian assistance for refugees along both sides of the Thai-Burma border, and on Burma's borders with India, Bangladesh, and China. * In view of Burma's massive public health crisis, the U.S. should increase humanitarian aid, provided that the funds are given to international nongovernmental organizations through a process that requires transparency, accountability and consultation with the NLD and other groups representative of a multi-ethnic Burma..."