Reuters-U.S. Says Myanmar Sanctions

[hlaing@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

U.S. Says Myanmar Sanctions Matter Of Principle 
07:01 a.m. Sep 28, 1998 Eastern 

BANGKOK, Thailand (Reuters) - A U.S. envoy said Monday that maintaining
sanctions on Myanmar was an important matter of principle even if it took
time to bring results. 

The U.S imposed unilateral sanctions on Myanmar in May 1997, including a
ban on American investment in that country. Canada also has formal
sanctions in place and, while few other countries have followed, several
have restricted trade. 

``I think that the sanctions on Burma (Myanmar) have demonstrated that
there is a very strong committed view among the international community for
Burma to respect the rights of its own people and the democratic principals
that are very precious to the rest of us,'' visiting U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, Alan Larson, told a
news conference in Bangkok. 

``I think that a policy of principle, our policy on Burma sometimes is a
policy that takes time to bear fruit, but that is not a reason not to
pursue a policy,'' he added. 

``I think it is an example of sanctions being used to try and accomplish
something that is very important ... I think that the sanctions on Burma
are an example of sanctions which responded to a very difficult and
dangerous situation that really was a threat to democratic values,'' he
said. 

The United States has recently said it was looking to increase the pressure
on Myanmar's ruling military government after it began detaining hundreds
of members of the opposition National League for Democracy. 

The NLD, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, supports the sanctions but
Myanmar's military says they are being used as a weapon to hurt the people.


Thailand was Larson's fourth stop on an Asian tour that has also taken him
to South Korea, China and Hong Kong. He will visit Indonesia this week.