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Southeast Asia
Bush signs new Myanmar sanctions
2003-07-30
President George W. Bush on Monday imposed tough new sanctions on Myanmar's crippled economy, vowing Americans would not desert opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in her struggle for democracy. Bush signed the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003, which garnered huge majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate two weeks ago. "The world must make clear, through word and deed, that the people of Burma, like people everywhere, deserve to live in dignity and freedom, under leaders of their own choosing," said Bush in a statement.
They've only been ticking along like this for the past fifty years or so. I think juntas have become a Burmese tradition...
He said the move was a "clear signal" to Myanmar's generals that they must release Aung San Suu Kyi, arrested in May, and move towards democracy." The sanctions, which go into force in a month, include a ban on all imports from Myanmar, and are aimed especially at the crucial textiles trade in an economy teetering on the brink of collapse. "By denying these rulers the hard currency they use to fund their repression, we are providing strong incentives for democratic change and human rights in Burma," Bush said.
I don't think Burma exports anything else but textiles, except for a bit of tin and a lot of opium...
Meanwhile, Red Cross officials, allowed to meet Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi for the first time since her detention two months ago, said on Tuesday she was in good health and high spirits. International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) officials had been trying to meet the 58-year-old Nobel Peace laureate since she was detained on May 30 after a bloody clash between her supporters and a pro-junta group. "I and one of my colleagues met her at where she was kept yesterday morning," the ICRC's representative in Myanmar, Michel Ducreaux, told Reuters on Tuesday.
Posted by:Fred Pruitt

#16  www.ibiblio.org??? that's where I go for various Linux resources...
Posted by: Rafael   2003-7-30 7:40:18 PM  

#15  Contain your screams people but.... Stevey has a point. Read below information taken from www.ibiblio.org, which seems to be a dissident Burmese website of some type.

Burma, Thailand sign big gas deal
By Tavorn Tammachatwichit

Bangkok, Feb. 2 (Upi) -- Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai presided at the signing of a controversial contract Thursday to pipe 10 billion baht (d400 million) worth of natural gas per year across southern Burma to energy-hungry Thailand.

Along with Thai and Burmese government officials, the signing ceremony at the Government House in Bangkok was attended by representatives of the two international petroleum companies with interests in the huge project, Unocal of the United States and Total of France.

The project has been criticized on environmental grounds and by ethnic minorities living in Burmese territory through which the pipeline will be laid.

The signing was the culmination of three years of exploration and negotiation by the two petroleum giants, the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise of Burma, the Petroleum Authority of Thailand and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand.

Officials said the 30-year agreement calls for drilling about 1.2 miles (2 km) beneath Burma's Gulf of Martaban in the Tadana field, which has proven reserves of 5.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
IMAO, however, I think that this project will benefit the people of Burma as it will outlive their current government by a long, long time. I say that the feds should leave it alone.
Posted by: Secret Master   2003-7-30 7:29:26 PM  

#14  Hey, Stevey. I actually saw some capital letters in there and this was almost intelligible. What happened? Did you run out of pot?
Posted by: tu3031   2003-7-30 3:06:47 PM  

#13  SW - So, Doctor, does his condition parallel that of, say, Al Capone? A steep deterioration into madness? Given all of his posts, I fear the condition is well advanced...

Can he be saved?
(Knock it out of the park... You're welcome! ;->)
Posted by: Anonymous   2003-7-30 2:50:13 PM  

#12  PD -- as a medical person, I can tell you that the proper way to express Stevey's condition is "two neurons held together by a spirochete."
Posted by: Steve White   2003-7-30 2:18:18 PM  

#11  are you an -- Outsider?
(you'd have to see his website)
Posted by: Rafael   2003-7-30 11:26:46 AM  

#10  RELEASE DAW!!!!

Yeah I miss Mike in Tokyo and his lovely wife Yuka. Her "Daw" rant was a blog classic. Just it's hard to explain to somebody who might not have seen it.
Posted by: Tokyo Taro   2003-7-30 9:25:22 AM  

#9  i have no problem with tighter sanctions, but that will need to be coordinated with other nations to be effective.
Posted by: liberalhawk   2003-7-30 9:07:20 AM  

#8  Anon1 - You're a scream! Don't you dare leave us, ever! Passion is missing in far too many (tres` triste, no?) - and welcome here in Rantburg. And our pathetic little stevey, who needs 2 additional neurons so he'll have a pair to rub together, is precisely as you stated - facts are facts, no apology necessary for truth-telling - ever. Keep it up!
Posted by: PD   2003-7-30 8:07:32 AM  

#7  i think i am getting a bit too excited about rantburg, that comment was uncalled for, SORRY STEVEY FOR THE AD HOMINEM ATTACK. not fair. also sorry new people for boring references to age-old trolls.

I am donating to fred as penance.
Posted by: Anon1   2003-7-30 7:39:58 AM  

#6  and if it's not about the oiil it must be about the natural gas. and if not that, then the steel. If not that then the dirt...
Posted by: Anon1   2003-7-30 6:33:49 AM  

#5  sorry tokyo, i just go nuts now every time I see Aung San Suu Kyi on Rantburg as that troll was very funny.

After all, Suu Kyi is one of the greats and to be respected. I respect her!

That troll however was hilarious. Much funnier than Stevey, who -if that website pointed out a few days ago is correct- is also not very attractive!
Posted by: Anon1   2003-7-30 6:31:53 AM  

#4  Question for Stevie R:
Are you advocating tighter, comprehensive sanctions (not that I disagree)?

Nevermind the stuff about Daw (Suu Kyi), it's an old inside joke.
Posted by: Tokyo Taro   2003-7-30 4:53:25 AM  

#3  oh ignorant leftwinger stevey (is that a tautology? I think it might be) it isn't aung san suu kyi, it is DAW CRAW DAW as any non-western person would know!!!
Posted by: Anon1   2003-7-30 4:29:33 AM  

#2  hi there, my ignorant rightwinger.Everyone knows that Burma/Myanmar has lots of Natural Gas. Ask California's Unocal. See the sanctions dont affect Unocal relationship with Burma.The fine print exempts American companies who had deals with that regime before 1990 something. So while we wont get anymore textile from there,Unocal will still make money from its pipelines in Myanmar
Posted by: stevey robinson   2003-7-30 3:00:14 AM  

#1  They also export high grade dark red rubies called 'pigeon's blood red'. The best are smuggled out across Thai border near Mae Hong Son.
Posted by: parallaxview   2003-7-30 2:54:08 AM  

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