Fw: Action needed/EU too!!!

[dawnstar@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

The EU is also "dragging its feet", finally getting up some speed last
october 26 when it tightened sanctions, but for years its been put
before the vote for full sanctions against investment in burma, and
always voted down. last october 26 the EU foreign ministers after their
meeting in london early october, extended the travel visa ban, passed an
arms embargo -finally - and denied eu entry visas for offifcials
promoting tourism -short of calling for a tourist boycott -- the eu gets
the jitters when the boycott issue comes up and squirms over trade
regulations at the wto and japanese pressure -- transit visas for
military authorities, (their cronies still get in, as did a slorc
general who missed the french minister a few years back but we can only
imagine who met him a la total, and finally, the suspension of
non-humanitarian aid.

the ministers did not adopt a ban on new investment or bar eu companies
from providing services to the regime, measures that had been discussed,
again...

this year, 1999, its about time the EU ministers pass the investment ban
instead of playing cat and mouse over human lives and unethical
investments that encourage and foster repression and genocide.

yes, despite some positive action, the EU, including the French national
assembly and French Senate, is very much so "dragging its feet" in not
dealing head on with the freedom movement in Burma.

dawn star 

Vum Son Suantak wrote:
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vum Son Suantak <suantak@xxxxxx>
> To: burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx <burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: Saturday, January 09, 1999 6:57 PM
> Subject: Action needed
> 
> 45 million people in Burma, who are held hostage by the military regime,
> would be very much encouraged if they were allowed to hear what the
> United States Secrectary of State and other dignitories are saying about
> their government.
> 
> We thank Madeline Albright, the US Secrectary of State for her strong
> statement against the military dictatorship in Burma. We also thank the
> leaders of the free world for their concern for the hopelessness of
> people of Burma. However, rhetoric alone will not change the situation
> in Burma.
> 
> Past authoritorian regimes in Burma were not conformable to reason.
> Burma became a colony of the British because the Burman king did not
> understand the reason behind the East India Company's intention of
> trading with the Burman.  The First Anglo-Burmese War happened bacause
> the kings army invaded British territory in East Bengal.  The second
> Anglo-Burmese War started because the Burmese Governor of Lower Burma
> could not be awaken from his afternoon nap, when the British admiral
> came to negociate with the governor. The Third Anglo-Burmese War
> happened because there was gross human rights abuses by the Burmese
> court, where over eighty half brothers of the King were killed in the
> most inhumanly manner.
> 
> The present authoritarian regime in Burma is not going to listen to
> reason.  If the United States of America and the free World Nations are
> touched by the brutality of the regime, they can start by recognizing
> the NLD as the government of the Union of Burma.  They can expel the the
> SPDC UN Mission and replace with the representative of the NLD.  The
> United Nations should send a troop to guard the well being of the NLD
> and its leaders. The ranks of the Burmese Army will welcome UN peace
> 
> keeping force because they are forced to be soldiers against their will.
> The UN should arrest General Khin Nyunt for his activity in the drug
> trade.  The rest of the regime will dissolve if the world community act
> with determination.