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A L T E R N A T I V E A S E A N N E T W O R K O N B U R M A
campaigns, advocacy & capacity-building for human rights & democracy
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BN 2009/1059: November 5, 2009
NEW US POLICY: AN ALIBI FOR REGIONAL COMPLACENCY
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The new US policy on Burma, combining long-standing sanctions with high-levelengagement, has been deliberately misread by Burma’s neighbors and used tojustify greater tolerance of the regime’s escalating crimes against humanity and warcrimes. The misrepresentation has:
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Emboldened the SPDC’s sense that it canplacate its neighbors through rhetoricinstead of genuine reform;
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Created a sense of complacency in theregion that conditions in Burma areactually improving; and
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Tacitly encouraged the SPDC to jailopposition leaders and persecute ethnicnationalities.
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Essentially, the new US policy means:
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“Pragmatic engagement”, aimed atachieving meaningful reforms, willsupplement and not replace sanctions;
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Discussions on easing sanctions will be possible only if significant advances oncore human rights and democracy issues occur; and
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The option remains of tightening sanctions on the regime and its supporters if thesituation worsens.
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Despite the hype over improvements in Burma, the facts reveal the opposite:
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As of September, there was a record high of 2,211 political prisoners as a result ofthe SPDC’s intensified crackdown on political dissidents. The crackdown,coupled with the bogus trial of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, ensures that viableopposition candidates in the 2010 elections are locked up.
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Escalating crimes against humanity and war crimes against ethnic communitieshave led to a sharp spike in displacement.
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President Obama must use the ASEAN-US Summit in mid-November in Singaporeto reinforce the key elements of the US policy on Burma. President Obama shouldutilize his Asia trip to draw in governments in the region, in particular China, ontothe same page as the US and not the other way around.
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In the wake of some governments’ rejection of human rights groups at the recentASEAN Summit, President Obama must speak up forcefully in favor of human rightsdefenders and the vital role of an independent civil society.
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US officials need to clearly articulate a set of benchmarks hinged on human rightsand democracy to measure progress in Burma in the run-up to the 2010 elections. Itis also critical to ensure:
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The election law guarantees participation of all people, including politicalactivists, as voters and candidates;
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Changes to the constitutional article on amendments to remove an effectivemilitary veto and reflect common practice.
INSIDE2 BURMA’S NEIGHBORS MISINTERPRETINGUS POLICY REVIEW3 WHAT IS THE NEW US POLICY?3 SPDC PLACATES NEIGHBORS3 COMPLACENCY FUELS SPDC ABUSES3
Political prisoners
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Displacement
4 BGF ultimatum has fueled instability inborder areas
5 SPDC THREATENS REGIONAL STABILITY5
China
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Bangladesh
6 OPPOSITION TO THE 2010 ELECTIONSGROWS6 DAW SUU REACHES OUT TO THE SPDC7 RECOMMENDATIONS
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