*EPF303 06/18/2003
Text: Feinstein Urges House to Pass, Bush to sign Burma Sanctions Bill
(Senator also calls for a downgrading of Burma's diplomatic status) (1280)

The House of Representatives should follow the lead of the Senate and pass a bill placing new sanctions on Burma, and President Bush should sign it, according to Senator Dianne Feinstein (Democrat of California).

In a June 18 press release issued by her office concerning a Capitol Hill news conference, Feinstein urged the Bush administration "to expel Burma's Ambassador to the United States and downgrade diplomatic relations with that country."

The press release said the senator thought that downgrading the diplomatic status of Burma at this time would be "an appropriate action."

"In my view, economic sanctions and returning the Ambassador home, if this is done by enough countries, could make a difference," Feinstein said.

In her prepared remarks for the press conference, the senator also called on the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council to hold an emergency session on Burma.

Senator Mitch McConnell (Republican of Kentucky), who is the Senate's Deputy Majority Leader, joined Feinstein at the news conference. The news conference focused on a new Council for Foreign Relations report on Burma; that report also advises the United States to urge the U.N. Security Council to hold an emergency session to condemn Burma's military government's recent crackdown on the democratic opposition there.

Following is the text of the June 18 news release from Feinstein's office:

(begin text)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, June 18, 2003

Senator Feinstein Urges the UN Security Council to Hold an Emergency Session on Burma to Condemn Junta's Detention of Elected Leader

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today joined Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Independent Task Force on Burma to urge the UN Security Council to hold an emergency session on Burma to condemn the military government's crackdown on the democratic opposition and its detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Senators Feinstein and McConnell, who were joined at a Capitol Hill news conference by Mathea Falco, chair of the CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force, to release the task force report - Burma: Time for Change, also urged the House of Representatives to pass legislation similar to the bill they sponsored to ban all imports from Burma. This legislation was approved by the Senate last week.

At the news conference, the Senators additionally urged the Bush Administration to expel Burma's Ambassador to the United States and downgrade diplomatic relations with that country.

"I think that downgrading the diplomatic status of Burma at this time is an appropriate action," Senator Feinstein said. "In my view, economic sanctions and returning the Ambassador home, if this is done by enough countries, could make a difference."

Senator Feinstein noted that Suu Kyi will turn 58 on Thursday while still in custody at an unknown location. "What is clear to me is that the junta had an opportunity to see how powerful she is and how well respected she is by her own people, and so what they did was foment an event in which people were killed and injured and in which she was taken into custody and removed from any public or private dialogue."

The following are Senator Feinstein's prepared remarks:

"If you can believe it, today, the International Red Cross was denied the ability to visit Aung San Suu Kyi who has been in detention since May 30. This is just one more indication of the hard-line recalcitrance of this military junta. It is clear that the junta has consolidated power and has no intention to engage in a dialogue on national reconciliation and restore democracy to the Burmese people.

Last week, by a resounding 97 to 1 vote, the U.S. Senate approved legislation by Senator McConnell and myself to ban the importation of all products from Burma. Now, the House and the President must take action and demonstrate to the junta that the United States will not stand for its repressive rule and its attempts to crush the legitimate democratic representatives of the Burmese people.

I also call on ASEAN and the United Nations to take concerted international action to bring pressure to bear on the junta. We know from history that sanctions are most effective when they have international support. Burma's neighbors and all people around the globe concerned with democracy and human rights must stand up and send a clear and unmistakable signal to the junta that its ways are not acceptable and its days are numbered.

The Task Force report highlights the fact that the May 30 attack on Suu Kyi and other members of the National League for Democracy by government-controlled thugs was only the tip of the iceberg of the regime's truly despicable human rights record:

Over 1,300 political prisoners are still in jail many of them elected parliamentarians;

The practice of rape as a form of repression has been sanctioned by the Burmese military;

The use of forced labor is widespread;

Trafficking in young boys and girls as sex slaves is rampant;

The government engages in the production and distribution of opium and methamphetamine.

In addition, the report notes that because of the junta's mismanagement, the Burmese economy is in shambles, with poor rice harvests and, most recently, a February 2003 financial crisis sparked by government closure of private deposit companies.

While I am relieved that U.N. Special Envoy Razali Ismail was able to meet with Suu Kyi and reports that she is in good health, we must not lose sight of the bigger picture. Despite worldwide condemnation of her detention and demands that she be released immediately, opposition leader Suu Kyi remains in the custody of the ruling military junta in an undisclosed location as she has for the past 11 days.

As the report states, the U.S. and the international community must put pressure on Burma, including the use of sanctions, to change its behavior. The Burmese people are looking to the United States for leadership and support. I believe our legislation is a clear endorsement of their aspirations for freedom, human rights, and self-government.

In certain circumstances, trade embargoes can be an effective instrument of foreign policy - such as in South Africa, when there is widespread international support. And as the Task Force report notes, business support for the ban is growing and includes the following groups:

The American Apparel and Footwear Association.

The Travel Goods Association.

And, a number of stores, including Saks, Macy's, Bloomingdales, Ames, and The Gap have already voluntarily stopped importing or selling goods from Burma.

In addition, The AFL-CIO and other labor groups support a ban. And the International Labor Organization, for the first time in its history, called on all ILO members to impose sanctions on Burma. Such diversity in support of this legislation speaks volumes about the brutality of the SPDC regime and its single-minded unwillingness to take even a modest step towards democracy and national reconciliation.

Currently, Burma exports approximately $400 million in goods per year to the United States and these exports are the regime's major source of foreign currency. Rest assured, the junta will take notice if this bill becomes law.

The junta has acted and, as this report states, now, we must act. We must take a stand on the side of the people of Burma and on the side of the values we cherish the most. I urge the House to pass the import ban legislation and the President to sign it into law."

A copy of the Burma Task Force report is available at www.cfr.org

(end text)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

Return to Public File Main Page

Return to Public Table of Contents