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Bush signs new Myanmar sanctions
President George W. Bush on Monday imposed tough new sanctions on Myanmar's crippled economy, vowing Americans would not desert opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in her struggle for democracy. Bush signed the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003, which garnered huge majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate two weeks ago. "The world must make clear, through word and deed, that the people of Burma, like people everywhere, deserve to live in dignity and freedom, under leaders of their own choosing," said Bush in a statement.
| They've only been ticking along like this for the past fifty years or so. I think juntas have become a Burmese tradition... |
He said the move was a "clear signal" to Myanmar's generals that they must release Aung San Suu Kyi, arrested in May, and move towards democracy." The sanctions, which go into force in a month, include a ban on all imports from Myanmar, and are aimed especially at the crucial textiles trade in an economy teetering on the brink of collapse. "By denying these rulers the hard currency they use to fund their repression, we are providing strong incentives for democratic change and human rights in Burma," Bush said.
| I don't think Burma exports anything else but textiles, except for a bit of tin and a lot of opium... |
Meanwhile, Red Cross officials, allowed to meet Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi for the first time since her detention two months ago, said on Tuesday she was in good health and high spirits. International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) officials had been trying to meet the 58-year-old Nobel Peace laureate since she was detained on May 30 after a bloody clash between her supporters and a pro-junta group. "I and one of my colleagues met her at where she was kept yesterday morning," the ICRC's representative in Myanmar, Michel Ducreaux, told Reuters on Tuesday.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-07-30 |
