(CNN) -- President Bush on Friday set new sanctions against members of Myanmar's military junta and their associates in response to the junta's violent crackdown on democracy protesters. President Bush announces new sanctions on Myanmar's ruling junta on Friday. "We must not turn a deaf ear to their cries," Bush said of those who have taken to the streets for democracy in the Southeast Asian nation.
| Attention Span Deficit Disorder will result in Bush being internationally reviled for picking on the Myanmar junta, who after all never did anything to us. Who's GW to be expressing an opinion on what's going on inside Burma, anyway? |
In late September, the U.S. Treasury Department announced it was freezing the assets of 14 senior members of the government of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. Also, the State Department imposed travel restrictions against the same junta leaders. Bush said Friday he was expanding those sanctions to include 11 more members of the ruling junta. In addition, 12 individuals associated with Myanmar's government will face U.S. sanctions. "Burma's rulers continue to defy the world's just demand to stop their vicious persecution," Bush said in explaining the additional sanctions.
| If the ASDD hasn't kicked in yet, then any action the U.S. takes will be too little, too late. I think we've got this game down now. |
Bush praised nations that have joined in sanctions on Myanmar and asked others to join in the effort to hasten democratic reforms in the country. |