BURMA?S NEIGHBORS MISINTERPRETING US POLICY REVIEW... WHAT IS THE NEW US POLICY?... SPDC PLACATES NEIGHBORS... COMPLACENCY FUELS SPDC ABUSES: Political prisoners; Displacement; BGF ultimatum has fueled instability in border areas... SPDC THREATENS REGIONAL STABILITY: China; Bangladesh... OPPOSITION TO THE 2010 ELECTIONS GROWS... DAW SUU REACHES OUT TO THE SPDC... RECOMMENDATIONS..... • The new US policy on Burma, combining long-standing sanctions with high-level engagement, has been deliberately misread by Burma?s neighbors and used to justify greater tolerance of the regime?s escalating crimes against humanity and war crimes. The misrepresentation has: o Emboldened the SPDC?s sense that it can placate its neighbors through rhetoric instead of genuine reform; o Created a sense of complacency in the region that conditions in Burma are actually improving; and o Tacitly encouraged the SPDC to jail opposition leaders and persecute ethnic nationalities. • Essentially, the new US policy means: o ?Pragmatic engagement”, aimed at achieving meaningful reforms, will supplement and not replace sanctions; o Discussions on easing sanctions will be possible only if significant advances on core human rights and democracy issues occur; and o The option remains of tightening sanctions on the regime and its supporters if the situation worsens. • Despite the hype over improvements in Burma, the facts reveal the opposite: o As of September, there was a record high of 2,211 political prisoners as a result of the SPDC?s intensified crackdown on political dissidents. The crackdown, coupled with the bogus trial of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, ensures that viable opposition candidates in the 2010 elections are locked up. o Escalating crimes against humanity and war crimes against ethnic communities have led to a sharp spike in displacement. • President Obama must use the ASEAN-US Summit in mid-November in Singapore to reinforce the key elements of the US policy on Burma. President Obama should utilize his Asia trip to draw in governments in the region, in particular China, onto the same page as the US and not the other way around. • In the wake of some governments? rejection of human rights groups at the recent ASEAN Summit, President Obama must speak up forcefully in favor of human rights defenders and the vital role of an independent civil society. • US officials need to clearly articulate a set of benchmarks hinged on human rights and democracy to measure progress in Burma in the run-up to the 2010 elections. It is also critical to ensure: o The election law guarantees participation of all people, including political activists, as voters and candidates; o Changes to the constitutional article on amendments to remove an effective military veto and reflect common practice