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-------------------------------------------------------------- HEADLINES -------------------------------------------------------------- AFP - Powell notes similarities in Myanmar, Zimbabwe crackdowns on opposition AFP - US Senate passes bill to ban Myanmar-made goods, freeze funds AFP - ASEAN rapped over failure to rein in troublesome member Myanmar AFP - Winds of change seen in ASEAN under new leadership Reuters - Powell ups pressure for Myanmar release Reuters - U.S. Senate approves ban on imports from Myanmar Reuters - Myanmar blames Suu Kyi for breakdown in talks Reuters - Thais arrest key aide to Myanmar drugs baron LA Tîmes - EDITORIAL - Freeze Myanmar Assets The Globe and Mail - Time to get tough on Myanmar The Guardian - Burma's hour of need CSM - Path to civilian rule eludes Burma ABC online - Burma to be scrutinised at upcoming ASEAN meeting JT - Kawaguchi to press for Suu Kyi's release ABC online - ARF will push for release of Suu Kyi: Downer Bkk Post - Joint call for Rangoon to free Suu Kyi Xinhuanet - ASEAN senior economic officials meeting ends in Myanmar Asian Tribune - India Urged To Stop Supporting SPDC of Burma Sunspot - Time for tyrants to fear -------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday June 12, 11:22 AM -------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday June 12, 10:41 AM -------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday June 12, 10:34 AM -------------------------------------------------------------- Winds of change seen in ASEAN under new
leadership -------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday June 12, 3:51 PM -------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday June 12, 7:11 AM -------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar blames Suu Kyi for breakdown in
talks -------------------------------------------------------------- Thais arrest key aide to Myanmar drugs
baron -------------------------------------------------------------- Los Angeles Times
EDITORIAL - Freeze Myanmar Assets June 11, 2003
The military thugs running Myanmar finally may have opened their eyes to the esteem in which Aung San Suu Kyi is held outside their nation. They already knew how much their oppressed citizens thought of the woman who should be leading the nation formerly known as Burma: The huge numbers greeting her on her journeys around her country provided graphic evidence of her popularity. Harboring despots' fears of ouster by a charismatic pro-democracy leader, the army rulers arrested Suu Kyi, again, after a deadly attack on her motorcade May 30. However, they let United Nations representative Razali Ismail meet with the democracy activist Tuesday after stalling for days. Delay is not new for Razali, who has sought for two years to push the nation's autocrats toward democracy. He deserves credit for insisting on a meeting with Suu Kyi; so does his boss, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who denounces the generals. In 1947 a political rival assassinated Suu Kyi's father, an architect of the independence movement. Forty years later, his daughter began campaigning against the military regimes that ruled the country for much of its post-independence history. In 1990, she and her party won a parliamentary election but the military scrapped those results and kept her under house arrest. It also refused to let her leave to receive her 1991 Nobel Peace Prize or to be with her husband as he lay dying in England. But a year ago, the junta let Suu Kyi travel again. Seeing her popularity undimmed, the government organized the May30 ambush of her motorcade and cited the violence as cause for her arrest. She was held incommunicado until Razali met her. Nearby nations like Thailand and Malaysia feebly protested the assault and arrest. The U.S. Congress is considering tougher measures to freeze the assets of the Myanmar government held in the United States and to bar the country's leaders from traveling here. Those steps are warranted unless Suu Kyi is released and allowed to travel freely. The United States and other countries earlier imposed economic sanctions on Myanmar that devastated its economy. Trade with Thailand and China, plus the export of narcotics, has kept it afloat. The trading partners, other countries in the region and aid givers like Japan need to get tougher by imposing sanctions and aid suspensions to push the country toward democracy; that's the outcome Myanmar's citizens show they favor every time they get the chance. -------------------------------------------------------------- The Globe and Mail
Time to get tough on Myanmar By PAUL KNOX Wednesday, June 11, 2003 - Page A21 Few governments fit the definition of pariah regime as nicely as the State Peace and Development Council. These are the odious military rulers of Myanmar, also known as Burma, who last week threw opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi back into detention for the crime of being a peaceful advocate of democracy. Aung San Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, is one of the world's bravest leaders. For most of the past 14 years she has been under house arrest. In 1990 she led the National League for Democracy to an overwhelming victory in a general election, but they were not allowed to take office, and the glimmer of political freedom was extinguished. Drug trafficking flourishes under Myanmar's ruling junta; the country is the world's second biggest producer of opium for heroin. The generals' obsession with top-down economic development has led entire communities to be uprooted and forced to serve as peons on construction projects. The United States has banned new investment. Canada has taken a more limited approach. It has eliminated favourable import tariffs and government aid to firms doing business in Myanmar, and it calls on Canadian companies not to trade or invest there. It's time to take a tougher stand. One potential vehicle for doing so is the Special Economic Measures Act, or SEMA, passed in 1992 by the Conservatives under Brian Mulroney. If the Chrétien government were to invoke SEMA against Myanmar, it could ban imports, exports and new investment. This has not happened, partly because the Foreign Affairs Department applies an excessively conservative interpretation of the law. SEMA allows the federal cabinet to act when the United Nations or another international body has ordered sanctions, or if Ottawa determines that "a grave breach of international peace and security has occurred that has resulted or is likely to result in a serious international crisis." There are no UN sanctions in place against Myanmar, and Foreign Affairs takes the view that whatever you think of the junta, it is not a threat to international peace and security. The abuses of the Myanmar gang go far beyond repression of political dissent. Here is the catalogue compiled by New York-based Human Rights Watch: "Forced labour, forced relocations, censorship, use of child soldiers, violations of religious freedom and atrocities committed against ethnic minorities." Such practices have come to be understood as dangers to global security, for their inherently destabilizing effect and their potential to spill across borders. They threaten "human security" -- the concept of putting civilian protection first that was pushed by former foreign affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy. Unfortunately, Foreign Affairs appears to inhabit a human-security-free zone. Happily, there are forces arguing for a less conservative view. Talks are under way to develop measures that could include the use of SEMA and increasing aid to the democratic opposition. For some time, an independent legal opinion on SEMA has been circulating among people concerned about Myanmar that argues that the cabinet would be on firm ground using the act, if only because of the threat posed by the Myanmar drug trade. David Kilgour, the Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific relations who is also a lawyer, says he finds this opinion persuasive. Of the possibility that Ottawa might act more decisively, Mr. Kilgour says: "If letters come in and people show they're getting concerned about this, something may happen." Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham wouldn't commit himself, but he said: "We're all frustrated, and I agree this [tougher measures] is an issue we have to raise." Would stronger action by Canada make a difference? It would certainly be an important symbolic act. Canadian exports to Myanmar are minimal, and imports are small -- about $46-million last year. But in 2001 they hit $63-million -- eight times the figure in 1993, the year after SEMA was passed. More significant is the investment of Vancouver-based Ivanhoe Mines Ltd., which has a 50-per-cent share in a producing copper mine with a state-owned Myanmar firm. SEMA is not likely to be applied to an existing investment. But there are compelling reasons for precluding future moves by Canadian firms in the absence of progress on the human-rights front. It's long past time to stop believing Myanmar's generals will change, or that dialogue with them has any meaning. Using SEMA would be an important signal about Canada's willingness to stake out guidelines for corporate and commercial conduct abroad. It would have other virtues as well. Consistency would be one; another would be guts. -------------------------------------------------------------- The Guardian
Burma's hour of need Asian leaders face a testing moment Leader Wednesday June 11, 2003 Reports yesterday that Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's pro-democracy leader, is uninjured and "in good spirits" are welcome news if true. But that does not mean international pressure for Ms Suu Kyi's release after her violent ambush and arrest last month by pro-junta thugs should slacken. Those detained with her and an estimated 1,000 other political prisoners belonging to the National League for Democracy should also have their freedom. Given this latest relapse into brutality by Burma's generals, this is a minimum precondition for a meaningful resumption of the UN-backed national reconciliation dialogue. It may be that the junta, alarmed by Ms Suu Kyi's popular speaking tours reminiscent of her victorious campaign in the stolen 1990 election, would be content to see the dialogue founder, calculating that the international community will do little by way of punishment. That is why the energetic, behind-the-scenes lobbying of the Bush administration is so important. US diplomats have reportedly delivered tough "requests" to 11 regional countries to exert pressure on the junta. George Bush, urged on by Congress, was also expected to discuss additional measures with the visiting Thai prime minister yesterday. Thailand has significant business and trade links with Burma and, like Japan, is reluctant to act tough. While Britain, France and the EU have all condemned recent events, this roundabout US approach stems from the sensible hope that Asian states will resolve an Asian problem without deeper western intervention that might become highly objectionable to them. That is not to say that the EU should merely look on helplessly. Unless there is a rapid improvement, Britain must push for the immediate levying of targeted EU investment sanctions, like those of the US, as campaigners and MEPs urge. Companies still defiantly operating in Burma, such as British American Tobacco, must be told to wind down and pull out. -------------------------------------------------------------- The Christian Science Monitor
World > Asia: South & Central from the June 11, 2003 edition Path to civilian rule eludes Burma A UN envoy Tuesday was the first to visit Aung San Suu Kyi after her detention May 30. By Simon Montlake | Special to The Christian Science Monitor MONYWA, BURMA (MYANMAR) ? The sun had already sunk behind the rice paddies and palm trees. The men, armed with sharpened sticks and clubs, had chosen their ambush point well: a one-lane bridge over a dusty creek. When a convoy of 90 cars and motorbikes slowed at the crossing, the trap was sprung. Caught in that trap were opposition leader and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and about 200 of her supporters. The attackers were led by a civilian front for Burma's military regime. When they finished, at least 70 people, mostly youth activists, lay dead, most of them bludgeoned, according to Burmese who have collated eyewitness accounts. Opposition activists, diplomats and analysts say the Burmese junta was behind the May 30 attack and the wider crackdown on the prodemocracy movement. Suu Kyi, who led the National League for Democracy (NLD) to victory in 1990 only to see the vote annulled, was arrested that night after her car was attacked. Tuesday, Razali Ismail, a UN envoy who has been trying to broker political talks in Burma, met with the Nobel laureate and told reporters that she was in good health, contrary to reports she was injured in the attack. Scores of other NLD officials are also in custody or under house arrest. US officials have responded to the crackdown by calling for more economic sanctions, while joining international calls for the release of Suu Kyi and other political detainees. But the attack has dealt a body blow to this nation's hopes of emerging from years of isolation and strife under military rule. The message behind the recent violence seems clear: there is no road map for a return to civilian rule in Burma. "To the generals, they see that dialogue with the opposition means that they will ultimately lose out, and basically they just don't want to know," says Aung Naing Oo, a Burmese political analyst based in Thailand. The latest crackdown comes more than a year after Suu Kyi was released from 19 months of house arrest, her most recent detention. At that time, the military regime spoke of "national reconciliation" and held out the prospect of political negotiations with the NLD, only to stonewall attempts to initiate serious talks. Observers say senior leader Gen. Than Shwe, a hard liner who loathes even the mention of Suu Kyi's name, has now dropped any pretense of peaceful coexistence with pro-democracy forces. His control over the civilian militia that carried out the May 30 ambush puts him squarely in the driving seat of that bloody operation, they say, and underscores his willingness to use force to stay in power. Diplomats say the regime also grew frustrated with the refusal of US and European countries to lift diplomatic and economic sanctions, despite releasing Suu Kyi in 2002. "They didn't get the rewards, so they probably started saying, 'hey, why do we bother playing ball with the West?' " says a European diplomat in Bangkok. But sparks also flew closer to home. In the past year, Suu Kyi had doggedly rebuilt a political party that had withered through years of repression. Branch offices were reopened and young activists recruited to the cause. Suu Kyi toured the country, drawing rapturous crowds, even in Burma's more remote regions with large ethnic populations, where her party's Burmese base could be a handicap. As Suu Kyi's popularity increased, so did harassment from the regime. Thugs were sent to disrupt her rallies by menacing onlookers and blasting loud music to drown out her speeches. But the crowds kept coming. The last NLD rally held in Monywa, a day before the fateful night drive, drew tens of thousands of supporters for a 20-minute address by Suu Kyi and caused three-hour tailbacks on the road from Mandalay. The next day, the regime struck back. According to state media, what happened on the road from Monywa was a spontaneous clash between pro- and antigovernment forces, an example of the chaos wrought by democracy activists, or "internal destructive elements." But local residents have a different story to tell. They say it was a preplanned attack staged by government forces that press-ganged villagers to fight, without telling them for what cause, and brought convicts to nearby houses where they were plied with alcohol before the attack. Opposition sources that spoke to eyewitnesses say that trucks were driven onto the road to cut off the rear of the convoy and that soldiers shot and killed students and monks from Monywa who tried to reach the scene. US officials reached a similar conclusion last week when they visited the scene. A team from the US Embassy in Rangoon retrieved bloody clothing, weapons, and broken glass from what the State Department has since called a "premeditated ambush" by "government-affiliated thugs." Secretary of State Colin Powell is likely to press Burma for answers at a regional meeting of foreign ministers in Cambodia next week. Diplomats say the strike against Suu Kyi is a rude awakening for Western countries that thought the junta had turned over a new leaf when it released her in 2002. "We've tried the carrot and now this: a reality check. The US and Europe are really fed up," says a Western diplomat. But any hopes of concerted international pressure on the regime will be dented by the reluctance of many Asian countries to reprimand the junta. Diplomats say Burma is confident that China and Japan, as well as trading partners in Southeast Asia, won't join any campaign to squeeze the regime. Even a proposed ban on US imports of Burmese textiles, worth about $350 million a year, can only exert so much effort, say analysts. "The military doesn't care unless there is real pressure, and I don't think that pressure is forthcoming from the European Union, let alone ASEAN," says Ms. Naing Oo, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. In Burma, where few are brave enough to speak out and risk the regime's wrath, public reaction has so far been understandably muted. In private, though, Burmese express frustration with the military's decaying grip on a nation and the harsh treatment meted out to the woman known simply as "The Lady." "She's here in our hearts, but this is a setback for us. It may be another five or 10 years before my country can get better," says a schoolteacher. -------------------------------------------------------------- Burma to be scrutinised at upcoming ASEAN
meeting
12/06/2003 20:00:26 | ABC Radio Australia
News
Australia says Asia Pacific security talks next week should send a strong message to Burma's government about releasing democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Our foreign affairs correspondent, Graeme Dobell, reports Australian officials say the ASEAN Regional Forum in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, will offer a chance to assess Burma's new crackdown. Australia has suspended its human rights dialogue with Burma because of the democracy crackdown which has seen Ms Suu Kyi under detention for the past two weeks. However, officials say there has been no fundamental change in the government's commitment to dialogue with Burma, and say the human rights process will be resumed as soon as possible. The foreign minister, Alexander Downer, is due to see his Burmese counterpart during the Phnom Penh meeting next week. Mr Downer says Australia will continue talking to Burma, an approach he sees as more useful for the region than the hardline approach to the regime taken by Europe and the United States. -------------------------------------------------------------- The Japan Times: June 12,
2003
Kawaguchi to press for Suu Kyi's release Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi plans to urge the Myanmar junta to release detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi when Kawaguchi meets Myanmar Foreign Minister Win Aung in Phnom Penh on June 19, government sources said Wednesday. Kawaguchi will make the request when she meets her counterpart on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings in Cambodia. Suu Kyi and members of her National League for Democracy were placed in "protective custody" following violent clashes May 30 between NLD supporters and demonstrators for the junta in northern Myanmar. In May last year, the junta released Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, from 19 months of confinement at her home in Yangon. Suu Kyi has led the fight for democracy in Myanmar through the NLD, which won the country's 1990 elections by a landslide but was never allowed to take power. Japan apparently decided that the meeting between the foreign ministers would be a good chance to urge Myanmar to release Suu Kyi, because ASEAN member countries will also likely pressure the junta at the forum. The junta has given assurances that they will release Suu Kyi, U.N. special envoy Razali Ismail said Tuesday. "They gave assurances but they didn't give specific dates," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur airport after returning from a five-day mission to Yangon. "Well, I think in two weeks they should release her. They can't keep her too long. It could create negative effects on them," he said. Razali met with Suu Kyi on Tuesday and said she is in good health. Kawaguchi has told Razali that Japan would back his efforts to obtain Suu Kyi's release. ASEAN groups Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. -------------------------------------------------------------- ABC online
Posted: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 18:26 AEST ARF will push for release of Suu Kyi: Downer Australia says Asia Pacific security talks next week should send a strong message to Burma's Government about releasing the democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Australian officials say the ASEAN Regional Forum in Phnom Penh will be a chance to assess Burma's new crackdown. Australia has suspended its human rights dialogue with Burma because of the crackdown which has seen Aung San Suu Kyi under detention for the past two weeks. But Australian officials say there has been no fundamental change in Canberra's commitment to dialogue with Burma and the human rights process will be resumed as soon as possible. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer is due to see his Burmese counterpart during the Phnom Penh meeting next week. Mr Downer says Australia will continue talking to Burma, seeing this as more useful for the region than the hardline approach to the regime taken by Europe and the United States. -------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post - Thursday 12 June 2003
Joint call for Rangoon to free Suu Kyi Bush takes PM to task on anti-drugs crusade Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and US President George W Bush demanded Burma immediately release pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi during talks on Tuesday in Washing-ton. The two leaders also urged Rangoon to return to the national reconciliation process, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Sihasak Phuangketkeow. In addition, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Mr Bush and Mr Thaksin demanded the junta free other members of Mrs Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy after a nationwide round-up of opposition activists. ``We have great concerns about the actions that are being taken in Burma,'' Mr Fleischer said, adding the United States had extended a ban for one year on new US investment and related sanctions. The 45-minute talks resulted in a joint statement covering the fight against terrorism, and efforts under the Asean Regional Forum toward a peaceful solution to the North Korean nuclear crisis, Mr Sihasak said. In addition, Mr Bush expressed concern over the government's recent anti-drugs campaign. However, Mr Sihasak said the two leaders failed to agree on wording on the Burma and drug issues for the joint statement. The Foreign Ministry spokesman also revealed an extradition deal had been signed with Washington to bypass the International Criminal Court (ICC). US State Department officials said the deal was signed on June 3, but declined to say why it had not been announced previously. Washington has refused to support the ICC, arguing it could become a forum for politically motivated prosecutions of US citizens, including civilian military contractors and former officials. Mr Sihasak said Mr Bush was considering the designation of Thailand as a major non-Nato ally. However, a planned signing of a bilateral agreement on port security was not included in the joint statement, he said. Mr Thaksin said he discussed a free-trade agreement with Mr Bush ``and we acknowledged that the FTA would be mutually beneficial.'' Speaking at a dinner in Mr Thaksin's honour, US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick said Washington considered Thailand an excellent prospect for a free-trade agreement. ``President Bush believes Thailand is a very strong candidate,'' he told the dinner, sponsored by the US-Asean Business Council. ``I think that the prospects for progress are excellent.'' The government recently signed a bilateral Trade and Investment Framework, which Washington uses to push issues such as regulatory transparency, the protection of intellectual property rights and trade facilitation. _ Agencies, Bangkok Post -------------------------------------------------------------- ASEAN senior economic officials meeting ends in
Myanmar
Xinhuanet 2003-06-12 11:33:40 YANGON, June 12 (Xinhuanet) -- The two-day meeting of senior economic officials (SEO) of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ended here Wednesday evening. The SEO meeting discussed matters relating to the ASEAN-Japan economic partnership, ASEAN-India economic relations, the establishment of (ASEAN+3) East Asia free trade area, the implementation of coordination on ASEAN+US (United States) trade investment and the establishment of ASEAN-China free trade area. The discussions also covered the meeting on ASEAN economy and investment to be held in Thailand in October and the establishmentof the Task Force for Asia-Europe Close Economic Partnership. The meeting outlined plans for holding the Special Meeting and the 35th Meeting of ASEAN Economic Ministers in July. The meeting decided that the next SEO Meeting will be held in Singapore from July 29 to August 1. The present ASEAN SEO meeting, which began on Tuesday, was attended by ASEAN Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong and representatives of member countries of ASEAN, which groups Brunei,Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. -------------------------------------------------------------- Asian Tribune
Date : 2003-06-12 India Urged To Stop Supporting SPDC of Burma Chiang Mai, June 11: "Stop support to the brutal military government! Withdraw economic support to State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) !" These were the shouts of international Human Rights activists who trooped to the Indian Consulate in Chiang Mai today as part of its campaign for democracy in Burma Activists from India, Mongolia, Belgium, Philippines, Thailand, Australia, Fiji, Indonesia, Canada, Japan and Malaysia delivered their letter to the Indian government, urging it to stop supporting the military junta in Burma. ?The violent ambush on Black Friday and the ensuing crackdown is the most serious recent attack on Burma?s democracy,? according to the letter which was signed by organizations and individuals under the group?s name, Friends of Burma Coalition. The ?Black Friday? refers to the May 30, 2003 incident where un-armed democracy supporters were attacked reportedly by the Union Solidarity Development Association (USDA), and troops of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). Still an undetermined number of democracy supporters have been killed. Aung San Suu Kyi, the popular opposition leaders was abducted by the military, and has been in the SPDC custody since then. There were other leaders of the National League for Democracy (NLD) who were reportedly missing. ?It has been 11 days since Aung San Suu Kyi has been taken into custody by the military. Apart from the report of UN Special Envoy Razali that she was in her high spirits when they met for 30 minutes yesterday, there is nothing we have heard about her release. This is just not acceptable,? says Titi Soentoro of Women?s Solidarity for Human Rights in Indonesia. ?SPDC has to have more pressure from the international community for her immediate release.? Titi Soentoro was one of the 3 people allowed to enter the office of Mr. Abraham, the Indian Consular in Chiang Mai. ?Mr. Abraham has assured us that the Indian government is also not pleased with the May 30 incident in Burma. According to him, the Indian government has already expressed this in previous statements.? India, along with China and Thailand, are perceived to be the most important friends that enable the Burmese military regime to survive. ?There has been a lot of condemnation of the fascist regime in Burma from the international community. But talk is cheap. There has to be concrete actions against the SPDC,? says Judy A. Pasimio from Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD). India has been actively forging bilateral ties with Burma. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has been reportedly primarily responsible for the development of economic ties with the junta. ?India has to suspend and seriously review its trade policies with and economic and military support to a regime that uses these assistance to further entrench itself into power, while continuing its oppressive and violent rule over its people with impunity.? According to Judy, the upcoming Asean Regional Forum (ARF) would be a critical venue. ?We are urging the members of the ARF to put Burma and its current political crisis in the priority agenda.? ?But the urgent call of the coalition is for India, as a good friend of SPDC, to urge the military junta to release immediately and unconditionally Aung San Suu Kyi and the other NLD leaders,? says Bee, a Thai member of the Friends of Burma Coalition. ?While Mr. Abraham was kind enough to receive our letter to the Indian government, we need to step up our pressure to the Indian government to make use of its influence on SPDC.? According to Bee, there would be more actions to be taken by the Friends of Burma Coalition. ?Obviously, SPDC does not really care about its reputation. What matters to this regime is that they still have the support of their few but powerful friends. We hope that Indian government, as well as Chinese government will take the side of the people of Burma, and not the military junta.? -------------------------------------------------------------- Sunspot
Time for tyrants to fear Originally published June 12, 2003 AYEAR AGO, when the military junta illegally controlling Myanmar last released its democratically elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, from house arrest, the generals promised a dialogue aimed at national reconciliation. True dialogue in the nation once known as Burma would lead to a decided weakening, if not the total loss, of the generals' power, so that hasn't happened. And as of yesterday, Ms. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, remained back in detention after a violent government attack late last month on her and her supporters - and even after a United Nations envoy spent days trying to gain her release. Given that Myanmar's military also has a long record of slave labor and drug trafficking, what more do responsible nations need to now get tougher with this regime? With that in mind, these days are critical - starting with passage late yesterday of a U.S. Senate bill to ban imports from Myanmar, seize the regime leaders' U.S. assets and bar U.S. visas for them. This ban should give greater weight to heightened U.S. diplomatic efforts to isolate these despots. Virtually all Senate leaders from both parties, led by Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell and California Democrat Dianne Feinstein, supported the ban. Maryland Sens. Barbara A. Mikulski and Paul S. Sarbanes were among its many co-signers, Mr. Sarbanes having signed on just yesterday after activists complained he hadn't. A House subcommittee has approved a similar bill. Everything possible should be done to see that this ban - affecting a quarter of Myanmar's exports, worth about $350 million a year - becomes law soon. But even just Senate passage of the ban gives Secretary of State Colin L. Powell a bigger stick when he attends a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Cambodia next week - a gathering at which the United States needs to lean even harder on Thailand and Japan to back off aiding this terrible regime. Time is well past for allowing Myanmar's generals to enslave their own people. As Senator McConnell said yesterday in calling for the import ban vote: "It's time for tyrants to fear in Burma." The import ban likely won't bring down these generals in itself. But it provides a key tool in building an effective worldwide movement - with roles for ASEAN, the European Union and the United Nations - to end their illegal reign. -------------------------------------------------------------- |