Fwd: Nasty Regime, Watchword for Bu

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>This FBC Posting contains:
>
>         1).  Nasty Regime: Watchword for Burma: Vigilance
>
>
>Nasty Regime: Watchword for Burma: Vigilance
>By Mitch McConnell
>
>06/18/2001
>
>The Asian Wall Street Journal
>In a speech before the British Parliament in 1982, President Ronald Reagan
>declared "We must be staunch in our convictions that freedom is not the
>sole prerogative of a lucky few, but the inalienable and universal right 
>of all
>human beings." These hallowed words bear truth today, but they
>unfortunately ring hollow in Burma.
>The international community has a moral obligation to stand by Daw Aung San
>Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy in their struggle for
>democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Burma. Under some of the
>most repressive conditions in the world, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi and her 
>supporters
>have waged a decade-long, nonviolent struggle to claim what they rightfully
>won in the May 1990 elections: legitimate leadership of the Texas-sized,
>Southeast Asian nation. Burma's military-led State Peace and Development
>Council annulled a free and fair election and the Burmese people's
>aspiration for democratic rule.
>With few exceptions, the SPDC has been roundly condemned for its
>mismanagement of the country and the maltreatment of the people of Burma.
>To be Burmese today is to endure unimaginable hardships and humiliation
>imposed by thugs and thieves more interested in protecting the status quo than
>bringing the country into the 21st century. Under the SPDC's oppressive
>hand, the political, economic and social development of Burma has been set
>back for decades. An exploding HIV/AIDS infection rate that is propagated
>by the military's involvement in the illicit opium trade and prostitution has
>already permanently handicapped generations of Burmese, all of whom have
>been denied the most fundamental human rights and civil liberties. The 2001
>Human Rights Watch World Report offers a blunt assessment of the importance
>the SPDC places on the welfare of the Burmese people: The corrupt junta
>"took no steps to improve its dire human rights record."
>The international community must maintain political and economic pressure
>on Rangoon. In Geneva, the 89th Session of the International Labor Conference
>is underway and Burma's use of child and forced labor will be on the
>agenda.
>Last November, in an unprecedented move, the United Nation's International
>Labor Organization called for sanctions against Burma because of its use of
>forced labor. This outrage was echoed in the U.S. Senate where legislation
>was recently introduced to ban the import to America of any goods produced
>or manufactured in that country. The international community should respond
>to the SPDC's systemic forced-labor practices firmly and in accordance with
>the ILO mandate. The world can no longer tolerate the use of Burmese
>children as soldiers and porters for army patrols.
>Vigilance must be the watchword for Burma. The United Kingdom and the
>United States continue to have an important leadership role in maintaining and
>increasing global pressure on the junta. On May 15, President George W.
>Bush declared an emergency to deal with the threat posed to America's national
>security and foreign policy by the SPDC, which triggered the continuation
>of the ban on new investments in Burma by American individuals and companies.
>As the author of the 1997 law that prohibits such investments, I am
>particularly pleased by the president's support of the ILO's call for all
>member states to end ties that abet the continued use of forced labor in
>that country. On the heels of its successful election campaign, the Labour
>Party in the U.K. should make similar statements in support of the Burma
>boycott.
>Japan should be publicly censured for approving a $28.6 million aid package
>to Burma for the reconstruction of a hydroelectric dam. There simply is no
>justification for one of Asia's strongest democracies to provide assistance
>to an illegitimate regime. To restore their national honor and stature
>among the world's democracies, Japan should immediately suspend the assistance
>package and publicly reaffirm its commitment to the de facto global ban on
>bilateral and multi-lateral assistance to Rangoon.
>Next month, the U.S. and other nations will gather in Hanoi for the 34th
>Association of Southeast Asian Nations Ministerial Meeting and
>Post-Ministerial Conferences. The Asean foreign ministers have already
>decided to put drugs high on their agenda and with good reason:
>Methamphetamines from Burma have flooded Thailand and the region in recent
>years, and according to the U.N. Burma is again the world's biggest
>producer of opium. The U.S. and other Asean dialogue partners have a unique
>opportunity to reaffirm their opposition to the lawlessness and repression
>of the SPDC -- and for their support of a democratic Burma.
>Despite the recent release of some NLD leaders generated presumably by the
>secret dialogue between Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi and military generals, efforts
>of U.N. envoy Razali Ismail have yielded few results. Democracy activists
>remain imprisoned and the NLD continues to be prohibited from meeting in
>Burma. In testifying before the U.S. Congress last month, Secretary of
>State Colin Powell offered a more sobering assessment of the talks, saying 
>they
>offer "a few rays of hope, but they are few and they are dim."
>The 42 million people of Burma deserve more than dim rays of hope for the
>future. It is the international community's responsibility to stand
>hand-in-hand with the Burmese people until they are no longer denied their
>unalienable rights of human dignity and freedom. To do less would only aid
>and abet the heinous crimes and injustices of the SPDC.
>
>---
>Mr. McConnell is a U.S. senator (Republican-Kentucky) and ranking member of
>the Senate Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee.

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<font size=3><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>This FBC Posting 
contains:<br><br>
<x-tab>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</x-tab>1).&nbsp;
Nasty Regime: Watchword for Burma: Vigilance<br><br>
<br>
Nasty Regime: Watchword for Burma: Vigilance<br>
By Mitch McConnell<br><br>
06/18/2001<br><br>
The Asian Wall Street Journal<br>
In a speech before the British Parliament in 1982, President Ronald
Reagan<br>
declared &quot;We must be staunch in our convictions that freedom is not
the<br>
sole prerogative of a lucky few, but the inalienable and universal right
of all<br>
human beings.&quot; These hallowed words bear truth today, but they<br>
unfortunately ring hollow in Burma.<br>
The international community has a moral obligation to stand by Daw Aung
San<br>
Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy in their struggle for<br>
democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Burma. Under some of
the<br>
most repressive conditions in the world, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi and her
supporters<br>
have waged a decade-long, nonviolent struggle to claim what they
rightfully<br>
won in the May 1990 elections: legitimate leadership of the
Texas-sized,<br>
Southeast Asian nation. Burma's military-led State Peace and
Development<br>
Council annulled a free and fair election and the Burmese people's<br>
aspiration for democratic rule.<br>
With few exceptions, the SPDC has been roundly condemned for its<br>
mismanagement of the country and the maltreatment of the people of
Burma.<br>
To be Burmese today is to endure unimaginable hardships and
humiliation<br>
imposed by thugs and thieves more interested in protecting the status quo
than<br>
bringing the country into the 21st century. Under the SPDC's
oppressive<br>
hand, the political, economic and social development of Burma has been
set<br>
back for decades. An exploding HIV/AIDS infection rate that is
propagated<br>
by the military's involvement in the illicit opium trade and prostitution
has<br>
already permanently handicapped generations of Burmese, all of whom
have<br>
been denied the most fundamental human rights and civil liberties. The
2001<br>
Human Rights Watch World Report offers a blunt assessment of the
importance<br>
the SPDC places on the welfare of the Burmese people: The corrupt
junta<br>
&quot;took no steps to improve its dire human rights record.&quot;<br>
The international community must maintain political and economic
pressure<br>
on Rangoon. In Geneva, the 89th Session of the International Labor
Conference<br>
is underway and Burma's use of child and forced labor will be on 
the<br>
agenda.<br>
Last November, in an unprecedented move, the United Nation's
International<br>
Labor Organization called for sanctions against Burma because of its use
of<br>
forced labor. This outrage was echoed in the U.S. Senate where
legislation<br>
was recently introduced to ban the import to America of any goods
produced<br>
or manufactured in that country. The international community should
respond<br>
to the SPDC's systemic forced-labor practices firmly and in accordance
with<br>
the ILO mandate. The world can no longer tolerate the use of 
Burmese<br>
children as soldiers and porters for army patrols.<br>
Vigilance must be the watchword for Burma. The United Kingdom and
the<br>
United States continue to have an important leadership role in
maintaining and<br>
increasing global pressure on the junta. On May 15, President George
W.<br>
Bush declared an emergency to deal with the threat posed to America's
national<br>
security and foreign policy by the SPDC, which triggered the
continuation<br>
of the ban on new investments in Burma by American individuals and
companies.<br>
As the author of the 1997 law that prohibits such investments, I am<br>
particularly pleased by the president's support of the ILO's call for
all<br>
member states to end ties that abet the continued use of forced labor
in<br>
that country. On the heels of its successful election campaign, the
Labour<br>
Party in the U.K. should make similar statements in support of the
Burma<br>
boycott.<br>
Japan should be publicly censured for approving a $28.6 million aid
package<br>
to Burma for the reconstruction of a hydroelectric dam. There simply is
no<br>
justification for one of Asia's strongest democracies to provide
assistance<br>
to an illegitimate regime. To restore their national honor and
stature<br>
among the world's democracies, Japan should immediately suspend the
assistance<br>
package and publicly reaffirm its commitment to the de facto global ban
on<br>
bilateral and multi-lateral assistance to Rangoon.<br>
Next month, the U.S. and other nations will gather in Hanoi for the
34th<br>
Association of Southeast Asian Nations Ministerial Meeting and<br>
Post-Ministerial Conferences. The Asean foreign ministers have
already<br>
decided to put drugs high on their agenda and with good reason:<br>
Methamphetamines from Burma have flooded Thailand and the region in
recent<br>
years, and according to the U.N. Burma is again the world's biggest<br>
producer of opium. The U.S. and other Asean dialogue partners have a
unique<br>
opportunity to reaffirm their opposition to the lawlessness and
repression<br>
of the SPDC -- and for their support of a democratic Burma.<br>
Despite the recent release of some NLD leaders generated presumably by
the<br>
secret dialogue between Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi and military generals,
efforts<br>
of U.N. envoy Razali Ismail have yielded few results. Democracy
activists<br>
remain imprisoned and the NLD continues to be prohibited from meeting
in<br>
Burma. In testifying before the U.S. Congress last month, Secretary
of<br>
State Colin Powell offered a more sobering assessment of the talks,
saying they<br>
offer &quot;a few rays of hope, but they are few and they are
dim.&quot;<br>
The 42 million people of Burma deserve more than dim rays of hope for
the<br>
future. It is the international community's responsibility to stand<br>
hand-in-hand with the Burmese people until they are no longer denied
their<br>
unalienable rights of human dignity and freedom. To do less would only
aid<br>
and abet the heinous crimes and injustices of the SPDC.<br><br>
---<br>
Mr. McConnell is a U.S. senator (Republican-Kentucky) and ranking member
of<br>
the Senate Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee.<br>
</font></blockquote></html>

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