U.S. Prisoner Leaves Myanmar
Release, Secured by Sen. Jim Webb, Fuels Debate Over Role of Private Missions
BY WSJ STAFF REPORTERS
An American citizen jailed by Myanmar was free in Thailand's capital Sunday after a U.S. senator secured his release, but the outcome highlighted a debate in Washington over whether such negotiations help human rights in recalcitrant regimes or let those regimes off the hook too easily.
Associated Press
Sen. Webb (D., Va.) heads a Senate subcommittee concerning U.S. policy to east Asia and is an outspoken advocate of easing sanctions on Myanmar, also known as Burma. He has argued that years of sanctions have failed to move the Southeast Asian country toward democratic reforms, and that curbing trade drives Myanmar into the arms of authoritarian neighbors such as China, which has been ramping up investment in the resource-rich country.
Sen. Webb said he would discuss his recommendations with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and others on his return to Washington. Mrs. Clinton last month had offered a carrot at a regional-security conference in Thailand by saying that if Myanmar frees Ms. Suu Kyi, a jailed pro-democracy leader, it could open the way for the U.S. to allow investments in the country, which Washington currently targets with stiff economic sanctions.
Reuters
At a news conference in Bangkok on Sunday, the senator said he "had a very long discussion" with Ms. Suu Kyi about when sanctions "work and when they don't work."
Speculation is growing among some dissidents that Ms. Suu Kyi is coming close to saying there is a case for easing sanctions on Myanmar. After realizing that sanctions have done little to dislodge the generals, "she wants to compromise," says Nyo Ohn Myint, a former close aide to Ms. Suu Kyi and a foreign-affairs spokesman for her political party, the National League for Democracy. "We need to sacrifice whatever it takes for the country."
Sen. Webb chose not to disclose any statements made on sanctions during discussions with Ms. Suu Kyi, saying she wanted to wait for a united statement from her National League.
Sen. Webb's private mission to Myanmar -- while approved by the White House -- has caused concern among U.S. conservatives and some Burmese dissident groups that worry the military regime will use his visit to improve its international image without having to give up any meaningful ground to its critics.
Many analysts had expected the Myanmar government to deport Mr. Yettaw, for instance, noting that the country has a history of releasing political prisoners when it wants to curry favor with the outside world. Opponents of the regime note that such moves rarely are followed by meaningful political reform in the country.
[Sen. Jim Webb meets Myanmar's top leader.] Reuters
Sen. Webb meet with Myanmar's top military leader Than Shwe at the country's remote new capital of Naypyidaw.
In his meeting with Gen. Than Shwe in the remote administrative capital of Naypiydaw, Sen. Webb asked the government to overturn its decision to sentence Ms. Suu Kyi to 18 months of additional house arrest for the incident involving Mr. Yettaw, and allow her to play a political role -- a concession that would likely be the linchpin of any substantial improvement in relations between the U.S. and Myanmar. Mr. Yettaw swam uninvited to Ms. Suu Kyi's lakeside mansion in Yangon, the nation's largest city, violating terms of her house arrest.
Sen. Webb said in Bangkok that the country's military leadership didn't appear to understand the depth of international opposition to the decision to detain Ms. Suu Kyi, which would effectively sideline her during the run-up to national elections scheduled in 2010.
He said the release of Mr. Yettaw was a gesture "which we should be grateful for and hopefully build upon."
Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125043215128734851.html
Release, Secured by Sen. Jim Webb, Fuels Debate Over Role of Private Missions
BY WSJ STAFF REPORTERS
An American citizen jailed by Myanmar was free in Thailand's capital Sunday after a U.S. senator secured his release, but the outcome highlighted a debate in Washington over whether such negotiations help human rights in recalcitrant regimes or let those regimes off the hook too easily.
Associated Press American John Yettaw, who had been imprisoned in Myanmar for sneaking into the home of detainee Aung San Suu Kyi, arrives in Bangkok on Sunday.
John Yettaw, who had been sentenced last week to seven years in jail for breaking the terms of dissident Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest, arrived in Bangkok with Sen. Jim Webb, who became the first U.S. political leader to meet Myanmar Senior Gen. Than Shwe. The ailing Mr. Yettaw is receiving medical treatment for a recent series of seizures.Sen. Webb (D., Va.) heads a Senate subcommittee concerning U.S. policy to east Asia and is an outspoken advocate of easing sanctions on Myanmar, also known as Burma. He has argued that years of sanctions have failed to move the Southeast Asian country toward democratic reforms, and that curbing trade drives Myanmar into the arms of authoritarian neighbors such as China, which has been ramping up investment in the resource-rich country.
Sen. Webb said he would discuss his recommendations with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and others on his return to Washington. Mrs. Clinton last month had offered a carrot at a regional-security conference in Thailand by saying that if Myanmar frees Ms. Suu Kyi, a jailed pro-democracy leader, it could open the way for the U.S. to allow investments in the country, which Washington currently targets with stiff economic sanctions.
Reuters Sen. Webb meet with Myanmar's top military leader Than Shwe at the country's remote new capital of Naypyidaw.
During his visit, Sen. Webb was allowed to meet with Ms. Suu Kyi, raising tentative hopes among some exiled opposition figures that the military government may be signaling a willingness to soften its stance toward her.At a news conference in Bangkok on Sunday, the senator said he "had a very long discussion" with Ms. Suu Kyi about when sanctions "work and when they don't work."
Speculation is growing among some dissidents that Ms. Suu Kyi is coming close to saying there is a case for easing sanctions on Myanmar. After realizing that sanctions have done little to dislodge the generals, "she wants to compromise," says Nyo Ohn Myint, a former close aide to Ms. Suu Kyi and a foreign-affairs spokesman for her political party, the National League for Democracy. "We need to sacrifice whatever it takes for the country."
Sen. Webb chose not to disclose any statements made on sanctions during discussions with Ms. Suu Kyi, saying she wanted to wait for a united statement from her National League.
Sen. Webb's private mission to Myanmar -- while approved by the White House -- has caused concern among U.S. conservatives and some Burmese dissident groups that worry the military regime will use his visit to improve its international image without having to give up any meaningful ground to its critics.
Many analysts had expected the Myanmar government to deport Mr. Yettaw, for instance, noting that the country has a history of releasing political prisoners when it wants to curry favor with the outside world. Opponents of the regime note that such moves rarely are followed by meaningful political reform in the country.
[Sen. Jim Webb meets Myanmar's top leader.] Reuters
Sen. Webb meet with Myanmar's top military leader Than Shwe at the country's remote new capital of Naypyidaw.
In his meeting with Gen. Than Shwe in the remote administrative capital of Naypiydaw, Sen. Webb asked the government to overturn its decision to sentence Ms. Suu Kyi to 18 months of additional house arrest for the incident involving Mr. Yettaw, and allow her to play a political role -- a concession that would likely be the linchpin of any substantial improvement in relations between the U.S. and Myanmar. Mr. Yettaw swam uninvited to Ms. Suu Kyi's lakeside mansion in Yangon, the nation's largest city, violating terms of her house arrest.
Sen. Webb said in Bangkok that the country's military leadership didn't appear to understand the depth of international opposition to the decision to detain Ms. Suu Kyi, which would effectively sideline her during the run-up to national elections scheduled in 2010.
He said the release of Mr. Yettaw was a gesture "which we should be grateful for and hopefully build upon."
Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125043215128734851.html
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