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Clinton visit sends wrong signal: Congresswoman
Irrawaddy - November 30, 2011
"I am concerned that the visit of the secretary of state sends the wrong signal to the Burmese military thugs that cosmetic actions, or mere 'flickers of progress' as President Obama recently spoke about, are sufficient for the US to engage the regime," Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said ahead of the Clinton's arrival in Burma – the first by a US foreign minister in more than 50 years.
Ros-Lehtinen, who heads the powerful House Committee on Foreign Relations, is probably among the few US lawmakers who have expressed their opposition to Clinton's visit.
"Secretary Clinton's visit represents a monumental overture to an outlaw regime whose DNA remains fundamentally brutal," she said, and argued that the enforcement of tough sanctions, as championed by the late Tom Lantos and her through the Block Burmese JADE Act, is needed to bring about the needed political changes in Burma.
The Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE Act was signed into law in July 2008. The bill restricts the import of gemstones from Burma and strengthens sanctions against the regime. Ros-Lehtinen was the lead Republican sponsor of the legislation.
Ros-Lehtinen said the release of some political prisoners in Burma and the return of democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi to the political process are limited but welcome developments. "However, the Burmese junta's atrocities, systematic human rights violations, and pursuit and proliferation of dangerous weapons continue unabated," she said.
"Ethnic Kachin refugees arriving recently in Louisiana report a renewed Burmese army offensive in October, where chemical weapons, such as yellow rain, were utilized, causing blistering, dizziness and vomiting," the Congresswoman said.
Gang rapes of women, usually in front of their children, are also reported, as is the torture and crucifixion of Kachin Christian pastors. These atrocities certainly snuff out 'the flickers of progress' that President Obama spoke about in Bali two weeks ago, she noted.
"Further, reported sightings of North Koreans in remote minority areas deepen concerns that the North Korean regime is aiding and abetting the Burmese junta in its efforts to acquire contraband weapons, including for the possible development of a nuclear program.
Any 'flickers of progress' would certainly be further overshadowed by more weapons proliferation by the regime," Ros-Lehtinen said.
Meanwhile, Congressman Joe Crowley said in a statement that Clinton's visit is a significant move to test the waters to see if the Burmese authorities are serious about genuine change – and that change must start with concrete action that includes an immediate end to human rights abuses.
"I hope Secretary Clinton's trip and our continued efforts to keep the international community focused on the fight for democracy in Burma will propel the Burmese military to put an immediate end to the brutal attacks against ethnic minorities and unjustified imprisonment of political leaders, and establish full-scale, irreversible democratic reform," he said.
Crowley had recently led the renewal of economic sanctions on Burma in the Block Burmese JADE Act as well as successfully spearheaded legislation awarding Aung San Suu Kyi the Congressional Gold Medal. Crowley has also worked to protect Burmese refugees who have fled to refugee camps in Thailand, India and Bangladesh.
In another statement, Amnesty International said that the success of Clinton's visit to Burma should be decided by whether the authorities respond immediately by undertaking bold and far-reaching human rights reforms.
"What steps will Secretary Clinton take to ensure that the so-called 'improvements' in Burma are not reversed," asked T. Kumar, the Asia and the Pacific advocacy director for Amnesty International USA.
"There are over 1,500 political prisoners, including some in cells designed to hold dogs. Abuses in ethnic minority areas are continuing, including rape. What is disturbing is that the regime in Myanmar seems to have taken for granted that the US government has other priorities than promoting respect for human rights and freedoms in the country," Kumar said.
Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International's Burma specialist said that the country's human rights situation has improved modestly in some respects but is significantly worsening in others.
"The US Secretary of State's visit sets a clear challenge for the government to respond with bold and meaningful steps, including the release – once and for all – of every remaining prisoner of conscience, and ceasing atrocities against ethnic minority civilians," he noted.
"The United States must not allow Myanmar to mischaracterize Clinton's visit as a reward, rather than a challenge. The United States is taking a gamble, but much of the outcome rests on its own insistence on human rights progress in Myanmar," Zawacki said.
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