NY Times Editorial Feb 14

[burma1un@xxxxxxxxxxx]

BANNING NEW INVESTMENT IN MYANMAR

The New York Times
Editorial
February 14, 1997

The Clinton Administration may be nearing a decision point on Myanmar, 
the Southeast Asian nation that has been deformed by a brutal military 
dictatorship. When President Clinton's top foreign-policy advisers take 
up the issue today, they should recommend activating a ban on new 
American investment in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. It would be 
an excellent start for Mr. Clinton's new team, and give Secretary of 
State Madeleine Albright evidence of American resolve that will be 
useful in her visit to China in 10 days.

The decision should not be difficult. Last July, Congress passed a 
bill authorizing a ban on all new American investment if Myanmar's 
Government harmed or rearrested the democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu 
Kyi or cracked down on the democracy movement. The law, introduced to 
undercut a tougher sanctions bill, was sponsored by Senator Dianne 
Feinstein, a Democrat, and William Cohen, a Republican and now the 
Secretary of Defense. His enthusiasm for invoking the sanctions is 
doubtful.

Unhappily, Myanmar has met the conditions for the ban. Mrs. Aung San 
Suu Kyi renewed her call for sanctions early this month when she 
criticized the Government for the recent arrests of dozens of student 
activists. She was held under house arrest in December. The State 
Department's new human rights report says that severe repression 
increased last year.

American officials also criticize Myanmar's regime for protecting major 
opium traffickers, who run business empires and help sustain the 
financially weak Government by buying state assets.

Banning new investment should not impose hardship on the American 
business community. Unocal, which owns part of a gas pipeline that 
will provide the Myanmar Government with a major source of hard 
currency, is already the largest American investor in Myanmar and 
one of the few companies increasing its stake. Unocal recently paid 
the Government several million dollars for new rights to explore 
offshore gas deposits.

Unocal is the shameful exception. Pepsico has just joined a long list 
of American and European companies pulling out. They are leaving to 
avoid bad publicity and new laws in Massachusetts and several American 
cities barring public contracts with companies that do business in 
Myanmar.

Secretary Albright and Bill Richardson, the new United Nations 
representative, have both visited Myanmar and met with Mrs. Aung 
San Suu Kyi. Their commitment to protecting human rights will seem 
empty if they and other senior advisers fail to urge Mr. Clinton to 
take action against Myanmar.