Myanmar Ambassadors response to Was (r)

[sbillenness@xxxxxxxx]

I only have one question about this letter.

Which PR firm drafted the letter for the Burmese junta's ambassador: Bain &
Associates or Jefferson Waterman?

Simon Billenness

At 04:33 AM 3/2/98, you wrote:
>Myanmar Ambassador?s response to Washington Post Article by R. Jeffrey Smith
>
>								February 25, 1998
>The Editor
>Washington Post
>Washington, D.C.
>
>Sir,
>
>	The egregious misrepresentation of the Myanmar Embassy?s role in Washington
>by R. Jeffrey Smith (Federal page, Feb. 24) deserves a response.
>
>	I should like to state emphatically that the Embassy does not deal in cloak
>and dagger business.  The purpose of my mission and that of  Embassy
officials
>here is to promote good and friendly relations between the U.S. and Myanmar.
>In carrying out our duties we have at all times taken care to respect rules
>and regulations of the host country.
>
>	In the light of the ?Myanmar bashing? campaign carried out by interest
groups
>and the media in recent years and the subsequent adoption of sanctions by
the
>U.S. government, it has become necessary for the Embassy to prevent bilateral
>relations from sliding further down by providing information to the U.S.
>government as well as the American people.  This was done through proper
>means.
>
>	It is also not hard to fathom why private companies ? American and Myanmar ?
>have been investing time and money in trying to undo the sanctions.
>
>	The question they pose, and rightly so is, ?Are sanctions wise?? Everyone
>knows that limitations of sanctions are greater than their accomplishments
and
>that unilateral sanctions have always fallen short of their stated goals.
>More often than not sanctions exacerbate the economic distress of the
>population of the targeted country.
>
>	In the case of Myanmar, a more appropriate response by the U.S. would be to
>assist in Myanmar?s transformation to a multi-party democracy.  To that end,
>the U.S. should engage Myanmar and not disengage from it.  Is it any wonder
>then that U.S. companies and Myanmar enterprises are employing all legal
>means, including the use of U.S. lobby firms, to get their point of view
>across to U.S. lawmakers and the public?
>
>								Yours sincerely,
>
>
>									sd /-
>								      (Tin Winn)
>                                                     Ambassador
>
>*********
>