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US lawmakers urge Clinton to maintain pressure on Burma
Irrawaddy - November 29, 2011
"This visit is a significant and major move," said Congressman Joseph Crowley, a member of the US House of Representatives and a leading lawmaker on Burma related issues.
"I hope President Obama and Secretary Clinton's outreach to Aung San Suu Kyi and efforts to keep the global stage focused on the fight for democracy in Burma will propel the Burmese military to put an immediate end to the ongoing human rights abuses, including brutal attacks against ethnic minorities and unjustified imprisonment of political leaders," said Crowley, who had been a sponsor of legislation to extend US sanctions on Burma.
Congressman Ed Royce, the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade and a senior member of the Asia Subcommittee, said that any stepped-up US engagement with Burmese leaders should be outweighed by engagement with civil society leaders and the Burmese people through Radio Free Asia broadcasts and other programs.
"It's them who will form the backbone of any productive relationship with the US, not brutal and corrupt generals," Royce said. "Burma's rulers have traded their military uniforms for suits and ties. There have been some minor signs of progress in a country that for decades has been one of the most repressive on the planet."
"But it was only a few years ago when Burma's military junta refused US aid for the victims of Cyclone Nargis, as some 150,000 Burmese died. I wonder how much has changed in three years?" Royce said, adding that while Burma's leaders have spoken of reform, the US must see tangible change.
"By making this trip, Secretary Clinton now has an obligation to truly test whether Burma's regime is willing to develop a democratic political system, free political prisoners, and protect basic human rights," he said.
Royce said that tangible change would also include the removal of the regime's veil of secrecy with respect to Burma's relationship with North Korea.
"There have been too many reports that Burma has increased its military cooperation with North Korea, possibly on nuclear technologies, as well as on long-range missiles and underground bunkers," Royce said, noting that he has raised this with issue with Obama Administration officials and would expect that this important national security issue take high priority in the Clinton's discussions.
A similar demand has been made by Senator Richard Lugar, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"The sincerity with which a wide range of reforms has been promised by the Burmese government must be judged by whether the words are followed by actions," Lugar said. "Missing from the long list of good intentions has been reference to the growing relationship between North Korea and Burma, and close cooperation between their two militaries. North Korea is believed to be continuing development of its nuclear, biological and chemical weapons programs."
"Over five years ago, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was informed and subsequently advised US officials of Burma's reported intention to develop nuclear weapons in coordination with North Korea.
An early goal of the tentative US re-engagement with Burma should be full disclosure of the extent and intent of the developing Burmese nuclear program," Lugar said.
A group of US NGOs urged Clinton to press the Burmese leadership on real democratic reforms in the country and the release of all political prisoners.
"As a leader known for advocating 'smart power,' you will have the opportunity during your visit to Burma, meeting with both government and opposition leaders, to strengthen Burma's democracy activists and ethnic minorities and remind the Burmese government of the consequences that will follow from a failure to cooperate with Aung San Suu Kyi, ethnic nationality leaders and all stakeholders of Burma's democracy movement," the NGO group said in a letter to Clinton.
"When you meet with President Thein Sein, you should intensify the consistent calls made by the international community for the Burmese government to (1) immediately release all remaining political prisoners unconditionally; (2) start meaningful political dialogue with democratic opposition and ethnic representatives for real national reconciliation and the creation of democratic systems that will guarantee democracy, human rights, rule of law, independence of judiciary, and ethnic minority rights; and (3) end civil wars peacefully and allow international humanitarian organizations to have unhindered access to the populations affected by civil wars and natural disasters," the letter said.
The signatories to the letter to Clinton were the Citizens for Global Solutions, Connect US Fund, Democracy Coalition Project, Freedom House, Freedom Now, Human Rights First, Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights, Open Society Foundations, Partners Relief & Development, Physicians for Human Rights, United to End Genocide, and the US Campaign for Burma. Theodore Piccone of the Brookings Institution signed the letter in his personal capacity.
While acknowledging that the new Burmese government has initiated changes in the country, the NGOs noted that many of the Burmese government's recent democratic reforms are easily reversible at any time.
"To date, President Thein Sein has not changed or is unable to change the Burmese army's actions against the country's ethnic minority population," the NGOs said.
The letter alleged that in the past seven months, there has been a surge in human rights violations committed by the Burmese army in ethnic minority areas, including the largest forced displacement in a decade of over 100,000 new internally displaced persons, renewed armed conflict with three separate decades-old ethnic ceasefire groups in Kachin and Shan States, and increases in the use of rape as a weapon of war, forced labor, and the use of civilians as human shields.
This is in addition to decades of attacks against ethnic minority civilians resulting in the displacement and destruction of over 3,700 villages, more than 2 million refugees and over 500,000 internally displaced persons, the letter said.
Observing that Clinton's trip to Burma is a historic one, the NGOs hoped that the Burmese government will take the visit seriously and respond positively to this gesture by breaking from its past practice of manipulating and politicizing high-level visits in its favor.
"Since Burma's military regime put on the veneer of a civilian government earlier this year, President Thein Sein has also shown an interest in engaging with the United States," the letter said, adding that in an effort to exhibit his interest in a better relationship with the United States, Thein Sein agreed to key demands by the US by meeting with Suu Kyi, releasing a small number of political prisoners and amending the political party registration law to allow former political prisoners, especially Suu Kyi, to be part of a political party and participate in elections.
The NGOs urged Clinton to publicly call upon the Burmese government to expand its movements towards democratic reform by repealing all laws and policies that allow for the arrest and imprisonment of political prisoners and creating a credible mechanism to investigate the torture and death of political prisoners.
Clinton was also urged to call on the Burmese government to work with the Union Election Commission to ensure that the recent electoral law changes are impartially enforced, former political prisoners can fully participate in the political process and the upcoming by-elections are held in a participatory, inclusive and transparent manner that is monitored by reputable international election observers.
The NGOs urged Clinton to press Burma to enact and meaningfully enforce laws protecting freedom of expression, assembly and association that go beyond Article 354 of the 2008 Constitution, which subordinates the freedoms of expression, assembly and association to laws enacted for country security, prevalence of law and order, community peace and tranquility or public order and morality.
In addition, a US Congress created body urged Clinton to raise the issue of religious freedom in Burma when she meets the country's top official, in particular those of religious minorities and other ethnic communities.
"After almost fifty years of brutal military rule, there may be 'flickers of progress' occurring in Burma, as President Obama recently stated.... We note, however, that serious human rights violations continue to occur daily in Burma and any recent positive steps can easily be reversed," said Leonard Leo, chairman of the US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in a letter to Clinton.
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