EBO Burma News, 7 June 2003
News Summary:
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1. US expands visa ban on
2. Suu Kyi
party blamed for clash
3. U.N. envoy fails to meet or secure
release of
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US expands visa ban on
by Matthew Lee
of
Aung San Suu Kyi.
"We have expanded current visa
restrictions to include additional members of the
State Peace and Development
Council-affiliated Union Solidarity and Development
Association," State Department
spokesman Richard Boucher said.
Members of the council (SPDC), the name of
the government, had already been
subject to such restrictions as had some
members of the affiliated association.
The extension of the sanctions mean that
all members of the Union Solidarity
and Development Association are now
included on the visa blacklist, State
Department officials said.
In addition, they said, the new
restrictions will extend to all managers of
state-run enterprises and their families.
Boucher could not say how many people had
been added to the visa blacklist,
but said the action had come as part of a
review of US policy toward
that began after a May 30 attack on Aung
San Suu Kyi's convoy.
"We have been actively reviewing our
current situation," Boucher said, repeating
accusations made by the department
on Thursday that the attack on the convoy
appeared to have been "premeditated."
He then intensified
explanations for the attack and its
subsequent arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi were
not believable, and a sign that the
government was no longer interested in
a dialogue with the opposition.
"The explanations that they have made
of the violence and subsequent events
lack credibility," Boucher said.
"These actions have to be interpreted
as suggesting that they have decided to
end efforts at national
reconciliation," he said. "That, too, would be a very
regrettable turn of events."
Boucher said that
Congress to determine whether new
sanctions should be imposed against
On Thursday, several prominent
against
A day earlier, they introduced a measure called
the "Burmese Freedom and
Democracy Act of 2003" that would
impose an import ban on goods manufactured
in
relatives seeking to enter the
"The administration now is reviewing
the draft legislation," he said.
"We're looking at it very
carefully," he said. "We believe it does contain many
useful measures and we're working with the
sponsors to assure passage of
appropriate legislation."
A senior State Department official said
later that the imposition of new sanctions
would be almost inevitable should Razali
not be permitted to see the opposition
leader.
"We're saying that they have a chance
with Razali there to fix things and if they
don't, we're going to look harder at the
legislation," the official said.
--------------------------------
Suu Kyi party blamed for clash
access" to pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, detained by
military junta, the Foreign Office said late Friday.
The country's ambassador to
itself facing the threat of regime change then "we will probably
have to
defend our sovereignty when the time comes and when it is really
required.
That is not what will be intimidating us at the moment."
Asked if, in the current world climate to repressive states,
could resort to military action to defend its regime, Kyaw Win told BBC
television: "There are many ways of doing it. Whatever the
requirements may
be, we will use all means to defend ourselves."
Aked where Aung San Suu Kyi was, Kyaw Win told the BBC: "As far as
we know
she is in the capital city of
prison, "but the exact address is something I don't know".
"At this moment what they are trying to prevent is further
skirmishes
between the NLD and those who are opposed to the NLD.
"Probably if they know where she is there may be more
demonstrations and
more unrest."
He added: "The government has requested not to hold such rallies at
this
stage ... and she has done that, because of which the skirmish took
place."
-----------------------------
U.N. envoy fails to meet or secure
release of
Aung San Suu Kyi
The Associated Press
By AYE AYE WIN
the release of opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi, despite international criticism
of her detention and
ruling junta.
Envoy Razali Ismail, on the second day of
his five-day mission, said he was still
pressing generals who secreted Suu Kyi to
an unknown location following a bloody
clash in northern
"I am still in the process of making
my case," Razali told reporters when asked
after the meeting whether he would be
allowed to see Suu Kyi.
Razali met for more than an hour with Gen.
Khin Nyunt,
chief and third-ranking leader, as well as
foreign ministry officials. Khin Nyunt
had earlier lashed out at the Nobel Peace
Prize winner and her National League
for Democracy.
In a speech on the eve of Razali's visit,
Khin Nyunt accused the NLD of corruption
and of triggering the violence by seeking
a confrontation with the government.
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