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NEWS - Sanctions good for Myanmar,



Subject: NEWS - Sanctions good for Myanmar, not China

INTERVIEW-Sanctions good for Myanmar, not China

By David Brunnstrom

  
BANGKOK, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Nobel prize winning economist Amartya Sen
says economic sanctions are probably a good way to push military-ruled
Myanmar to democracy, but doubts their effectiveness in China. 

``It's a difficult issue as to which way it works,'' the 1998 Nobel
laureate told Reuters in an interview. ``I think it probably can be
quite effective against Burma (Myanmar). Whether it can be equally
effective against China, I don't know. 

``If you are dealing with a country which is as large and has such a
well-developed philosophy as China has, chances are that sanctions
probably won't be that effective. 

``Burma, on the other hand, where the situation is much more marginal
and they are much more dependent on the world market and indeed world
goodwill, I think it may be much more effective.'' 

Washington imposed economic sanctions barring U.S. investment in Myanmar
in 1997 for its failure to democratise and rights abuses. The European
Union bars visits by top Myanmar officials. 

Washington has recently imposed fresh economic sanctions on China,
including restrictions on certain high technology transfers, as a
punishment for alleged religious persecution. 

Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose National League for
Democracy won the country's last election in 1990 but was never allowed
to govern, has called for more countries to impose sanctions and
criticised Asian nations for pursuing a policy of engagement with the
generals. 

Suu Kyi is the 1991 Nobel Peace laureate. 

Sen, from India, and the first Asian ever to win the economics prize,
said decisions on whether to impose sanctions had to be based on whether
or not they would be effective. 

SANCTIONS SHOULD NOT BE USED AS PUNISHMENT 

``I've never believed in punishments...I don't think punishment should
be given on grounds that somebody deserves it. It has to be that it will
do some good in the future. 

In a country like Myanmar, where there was a lot of discontent and a
well-developed opposition movement ``pressure may well be effective,''
he said. However, he added: 

``Ultimately, I don't think other countries can give you democracy. It
has to come from inside the country.'' 

China was far less susceptible to pressure, he said. 

``China is a very large country and in many ways a very advanced economy
and very self-dependent. It's not easy to pressure around and it
strongly resents being pressured around. 

``Also, the Chinese economy, unlike the Burmese has on the whole been
very successful. It's not like the country's seething with rebellion, so
I don't really think that by putting on sanctions you will make
opposition groups come out and be more successful. I don't thing that's
likely to happen.'' 

Sen said he was sceptical about China's line that increased local
democracy would bring overall democracy. 

``But it's not entirely dismissable. There are voices within their
administration which would like to see a more democratic structure, so
it's a question of whether sanctions will strengthen rather than weaken
it. 

``So China is a much more difficult case than South Africa was earlier
or Burma is right now.'' 

Sen said China was one of the most successful cases of development in
the world, although it's lack of democracy was ``a great defect that
they have to cure.'' 

``I think foreign investment in Burma is a bad thing because I think it
bolsters the regime and because the regime doesn't have anything like
the positive record China has. China has had a lot of success and Burma
has always had very little success.'' 

03:05 12-17-99