August 19, 2009
Editorial
Myanmar’s repressive government was uncharacteristically welcoming when Senator Jim Webb visited last weekend. The junta released an American prisoner. Its leader, Senior Gen. Than Shwe, held talks with Mr. Webb and allowed him to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who has been under house arrest for 14 of the last 20 years.
We hope this new attitude means that Myanmar’s leaders are looking for ways to lessen their isolation and are finally ready to loosen their iron grip. We encourage the Obama administration to test that proposition. But it is far too early to lift sanctions on one of the world’s most authoritarian regimes.
The seven-year sentence imposed on John Yettaw was cruel. The American, who suffers from post-traumatic stress, was convicted after swimming across a lake to visit Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi, uninvited, at her home. The junta used the incident to add another 18 months to her detention, which now extends past next year’s general elections. She — and 2,000 other political prisoners — should be released immediately and allowed to engage in peaceful political activity.
Mr. Webb is right that American policy — Washington tries to isolate the junta, while Myanmar’s neighbors pursue engagement — has failed to bring change. The Obama administration’s policy review, on hold during Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial, must be speeded up if Washington hopes to influence the elections.
Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi has been a strong supporter of economic pressure. But Mr. Webb said she told him she “is not opposed to lifting some sanctions.” A statement issued by her lawyer on Tuesday suggests otherwise. We would like to hear her views directly.
Any change should begin with a dialogue to explore how relations might improve. The United States should press the junta to free Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi and allow the opposition to participate in fair elections. It should make clear that it is prepared to begin lifting sanctions if the junta demonstrates its willingness to stop persecuting its own people. Washington must also make clear that it is closely monitoring reports of suspected nuclear cooperation between Myanmar and North Korea.
The administration must also persuade China (Myanmar’s major foreign investor), India and others to rethink their policies. If Washington is willing to open a dialogue with the generals, Myanmar’s neighbors must be willing to use their diplomatic and economic influence to press the generals toward a peaceful transition.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/opinion/19wed2.html?_r=1&hpw
Editorial
Myanmar’s repressive government was uncharacteristically welcoming when Senator Jim Webb visited last weekend. The junta released an American prisoner. Its leader, Senior Gen. Than Shwe, held talks with Mr. Webb and allowed him to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who has been under house arrest for 14 of the last 20 years.
We hope this new attitude means that Myanmar’s leaders are looking for ways to lessen their isolation and are finally ready to loosen their iron grip. We encourage the Obama administration to test that proposition. But it is far too early to lift sanctions on one of the world’s most authoritarian regimes.
The seven-year sentence imposed on John Yettaw was cruel. The American, who suffers from post-traumatic stress, was convicted after swimming across a lake to visit Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi, uninvited, at her home. The junta used the incident to add another 18 months to her detention, which now extends past next year’s general elections. She — and 2,000 other political prisoners — should be released immediately and allowed to engage in peaceful political activity.
Mr. Webb is right that American policy — Washington tries to isolate the junta, while Myanmar’s neighbors pursue engagement — has failed to bring change. The Obama administration’s policy review, on hold during Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial, must be speeded up if Washington hopes to influence the elections.
Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi has been a strong supporter of economic pressure. But Mr. Webb said she told him she “is not opposed to lifting some sanctions.” A statement issued by her lawyer on Tuesday suggests otherwise. We would like to hear her views directly.
Any change should begin with a dialogue to explore how relations might improve. The United States should press the junta to free Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi and allow the opposition to participate in fair elections. It should make clear that it is prepared to begin lifting sanctions if the junta demonstrates its willingness to stop persecuting its own people. Washington must also make clear that it is closely monitoring reports of suspected nuclear cooperation between Myanmar and North Korea.
The administration must also persuade China (Myanmar’s major foreign investor), India and others to rethink their policies. If Washington is willing to open a dialogue with the generals, Myanmar’s neighbors must be willing to use their diplomatic and economic influence to press the generals toward a peaceful transition.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/opinion/19wed2.html?_r=1&hpw
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