Forum Views () 
Forum Replies ()  
 
 
Read more with google mobile :
US senator lashes Myanmar sanctions  
 
 
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
Yahoo! Search
Search:
Sign InNew User? Sign Up
News Home -
Help
  
 
  
Navigation
Primary Navigation
 
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Secondary Navigation
 
Australia
China
India
 Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam
 
Search
 
 
Search:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
US senator lashes Myanmar sanctions
 
 
 
 
 
 
 AFP - Thursday, August 27
WASHINGTON, Aug 26, 2009 (AFP) - - US Senator Jim Webb, back from a rare trip to Myanmar, called sanctions against the military regime "overwhelmingly counterproductive" and asked the opposition to consider taking part in upcoming elections.
ADVERTISEMENT
  
Webb, whose against-the-grain views on Myanmar have infuriated some activists, voiced concern that Western isolation of Myanmar pushed it into the arms of China, "furthering a dangerous strategic imbalance in the region."
The United States and European Union have imposed sanctions on Myanmar, earlier known as Burma, due to its refusal to recognize the last elections in 1990 and prolonged detention of the victor, democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.
"While the political motivations behind this approach are laudable, the result has been overwhelmingly counterproductive," Webb wrote Wednesday in The New York Times.
"The ruling regime has become more entrenched and at the same time more isolated. The Burmese people have lost access to the outside world," said Webb, who on August 15 became the first US official to meet the junta's reclusive leader Than Shwe.
Webb said he opposed lifting sanctions due to US economic interests or "if such a decision were seen as a capitulation of our long-held position that Myanmar should abandon its repressive military system in favor of democratic rule.
"But it would be just as bad for us to fold our arms, turn our heads and pretend that by failing to do anything about the situation in Myanmar we are somehow helping to solve it," he said.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said Webb's views are "something we're going to be looking at" in a review of Myanmar policy initiated after President Barack Obama took office.
The Obama team has been skeptical about sanctions as a diplomatic tool and supports engagement with US foes, although the State Department earlier assured Aung San Suu Kyi supporters in Congress it was not looking to open trade with Myanmar.
Webb, a gruff Vietnam veteran and author who belongs to Obama's Democratic Party, said the United States could offer to help Myanmar carry out elections next year.
Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy has denounced the vote -- the first since the 1990 polls -- as a sham, particularly as the Nobel laureate remains under house arrest.
But Webb said the opposition party "might consider the advantages of participation as part of a longer-term political strategy."
"There is room for engagement" between the United States and Myanmar, Webb wrote. "Many Asian countries -- China among them -- do not even allow opposition parties."
Webb, who heads the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on Asia, won the freedom of a troubled American who had been jailed in Myanmar for swimming to Aung San Suu Kyi's home.
But Myanmar democracy activists have been livid. Pyinya Zawta, a prominent monk who lives in exile in the United States after being jailed for leading pro-democracy protests, said Webb is "despised by the people of Burma."
"Webb claims that the Burmese people would benefit from interaction with the outside world, as if we need to be condescendingly 'taught' by Americans about our rights and responsibilities," Zawta wrote in The Irrawaddy, a newsmagazine set up by Myanmar exiles in Thailand.
"Had Webb spent some time with real Burmese people apart from the military regime and others who share his views, he would better understand the sacrifice we made for democracy," he said.
Walter Lohman, director of the Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think-tank, also faulted Webb on sanctions, saying that China and Southeast Asian nations provided a lifeline to Myanmar.
"It is demonstrably true that American sanctions have not brought about change in Burma," Lohman said.
"But the answer lies in building the necessary international consensus to pressure it, not abandoning the effort," he said.
 
 
 
Email Story
IM Story
Printable View
Blog This
 
 
     
Sign in to recommend this article »
0 users recommend
 
Related Articles: Asia Pacific
Ex-health minister in Malaysia sacked over sex tapeAFP - Thursday, August 27
Sex scandal costs Malaysian party leader his jobAP - 2 hours 23 minutes ago
Fiji seeks talks with Commonwealth on suspensionAP - Thursday, August 27
Taiwan's government approves visit by Dalai LamaAP - Thursday, August 27
Samoa in uproar over switch to driving on leftAFP - Thursday, August 27
 
 
 
 
Most Popular – Asia Pacific
 
 
 
 
 
 Viewed
 
 
 
 
Profile of swine flu begins to emerge: study
 
 
Singer Chris Brown sentenced for Rihanna assault
 
 
Microsoft apologizes for photo gaffe
 
 
Jackson killed by drugs cocktail: court
 
 
Ciudad Juarez, deadliest city in the world: watchdog
 
 
View Complete List »
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Search:
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy 
- Terms of Service 
- Community 
- Intellectual Property Rights Policy 
- Help
        
    
   
 
Other News on Thursday, 27 August 2009 One of two French agents in Somalia free  
Social network users not taking security steps  
US new home sales leap 9.6 percent  
Powerful Iraqi Shiite leader has died in Iran  
Selected quotes from Edward Kennedy  
Japan robotics experts unveil sci-fi wheelchair  
Israel says hopes to resume Palestinian talks soon
| International
|  
Microsoft apologizes for photo gaffe  
Videos of US homeless beatings spike online  
U.N. chief says welcomes criticism after Norway memo
| International
|  
Dutch judge threatens fines for filesharing website  
US durable goods orders post steep jump  
IBM, Indian outsourcers win services deal from BP  
U.N. Liberia peacekeeper suspected of abuse found dead
| International
|  
Koreas near deal on family reunions at rare talks  
Karzai widens lead in Afghan vote count  
Karzai widens lead in Afghan vote  
Apple event expected soon, but no tablet in sight
| Technology
|  
Ferry sinks off Indonesia's Bali, 9 dead  
Thai military detains 2 Muslim suspects in bombing  
Sirius hooks up iPhone to premium satellite radio
| Technology
|  
Two Koreas agree to hold family reunions  
New bird count finds more rare ibises in Cambodia  
Taiwan officials: Dalai Lama to visit this month  
'Over 100 sick' in typhoon-hit Taiwan village  
Venezuela plans law to ban violent videogames
| Technology
|  
Tropical storm Danny heads for Bahamas  
Canada may reveal next step on Facebook privacy
| Technology
|  
Va. SPCA exec's dog dies after 4 hours in hot car  
Judge denies group's flu vaccine request  
VA ends Gulf War illness research contract  
Mitchell, Netanyahu say progress made at talks  
White House Christmas tree will be fir from W.Va.  
Pakistani 6-mth T-bill yield rises to 12.5517 pct  
China shares rebound on bargain-hunting  
Bob Dylan's Christmas album to benefit charity
| Entertainment
|  
Fall Out Boy singer arrested on driving charge
| Entertainment
|  
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary  
Latino rocker sees Havana gig helping U.S.-Cuba thaw  
Coroner says Jackson died from lethal dose of propofol
| Entertainment
|  
Latino rocker sees Havana gig helping U.S.-Cuba thaw
| Entertainment
|  
Britain pulls the plug on 'Big Brother'  
Splat! Tomato fans paint town red in Spain  
Outrage over Senegalese monument reaches new heights  
Poverty and privilege: Lebanon's flawed prison system  
Atheists on the march in America  
UK's Channel 4 to ditch Big Brother reality show
| Entertainment
|  
Indian art looks to emerge from shadows  
Design chosen for Mumbai's 'Statue of Liberty'  
Australia looks to ditch the beach for new global image  
Pentagon profiling Afghan embed journalists: report  
Financial watchdog chief backs tax on Brit banks  
Karzai leads in Afghan poll, run-off indicated
| International
|  
"Mona Lisa" comes to life in high-tech art exhibit  
Pentagon profiling Afghan embed journalists: report  
Iraqi Shi'ite party leader dies, successor eyed  
Iran's Khamenei says protests planned before vote
| International
|  
Apple readies iPhone for launch in China: report  
Ciudad Juarez, deadliest city in the world: watchdog  
Koreas near deal on family reunions at rare talks
| International
|  
Iran's Khamenei says protests planned before vote  
Google shuns in-person analyst day, goes online  
Colombia says Chavez meddling, protests to OAS
| International
|  
Schwarzenegger drops in on Twitter  
Taiwan, challenging China, to let Dalai Lama visit
| International
|  
Blanket US media coverage for Ted Kennedy death  
 News  
Tycoon Slim, Qualcomm bring game console to Mexico  
Japan opposition may win 2/3 majority: poll
| International
|  
Analysis: Iraq's Shiite power base shifts  
Wikipedia dabbles with way to thwart vandals  
Iraqi PM steps up pressure on Syria over militants  
Argentine government criticizes farmers' strike call
| International
|  
 News  
Iranians gathering to mourn Shiite leader's death  
Sirius hooks up iPhone to premium satellite radio  
Venezuela plans law to ban violent videogames  
Nokia plans to launch mobile 'banking'  
Apple event expected soon, no tablet in sight
| Technology
|  
Google shuns in-person analyst day, goes online
| Technology
|  
Mona Lisa comes to life in high-tech art exhibit
| Technology
|  
 News  
Sex scandal costs Malaysian party leader his job  
 News  
Fiji seeks talks with Commonwealth on suspension  
Time Warner Cable to test TV on the Internet: report
| Technology
|  
 News  
Unicom to announce China iPhone deal: analyst
| Technology
|  
Taiwan's government approves visit by Dalai Lama  
Recession ends boom for Mexican smugglers' village  
 News  
WA town's troublesome turkeys spared death  
US senator lashes Myanmar sanctions  
 News  
Taiwan's government approves visit from Dalai Lama  
Taiwan's government OKs Dalai Lama to visit Taiwan  
Koreas hold talks on reuniting divided families  
NJ man who robbed banks on Thursdays gets 6 years  
Karzai widens lead in Afghan vote count  
 News  
Suspected vandal once campaigned for Dem candidate  
Franken cancels event hosted by convicted swindler  
Slain model's missing car found in West Hollywood  
 News  
 News  
Seoul shares down 0.6 pct weighed on banks, techs  
 News  
Slain model's missing car found in West Hollywood  
Korea Hot Stocks  
Author, journalist Dominick Dunne dies at 83
| Entertainment
|  
Capsule reviews: `Taking Woodstock,' others  
NZ airline profit down as passengers, revenue slip  
Bid for crypt above Marilyn Monroe falls through  
Seoul shares down, led by financials  
U.S. stars pushing America to dance to Europe's beat
| Entertainment
|  
Author, journalist Dominick Dunne dies at 83  
Green Day ends tour with exemplary arena show
| Entertainment
|  
 News  
Parker Posey withdraws from off-B'way production  
Pop songwriter Ellie Greenwich dies in New York
| Entertainment
|  
Pop songwriter Ellie Greenwich dies in New York  
 News  
Review: `World's Greatest Dad' a fearless comedy  
Toyota recalls 95,700 cars in US over brakes risk  
Chris Brown to get group counseling in Virginia  
Nissan plans to temporarily lay off 2,025 workers in Spain  
Jack Ingram sets record for radio interviews: 215  
Israeli PM calls for 'crippling sanctions' against Iran  
Sharp eyes niche between netbooks, phones  
Discovery countdown to resume as valve starts working  
Sweden's free speech tradition runs into Israeli ire  
Nokia establishes unit to tie phones, services  
Sudan's Darfur no longer at war: peacekeeping chief
| International
|  
Israel's Netanyahu given Holocaust plans in Berlin
| International
|  
Afghanistan caught in complex guessing game  
Microsoft cuts price of high-end Xbox model by $100  
Sudan's Darfur no longer at war  
Iran MP says rape of some vote detainees proven
| International
|  
Time Warner Cable to test TV on the Internet: report  
Iranian women activists not fooled by president  
Nissan, Chrysler scrap vehicle supply deal  
Unicom to announce China iPhone deal: analyst  
Suspected suicide bomber kills 20 in Pakistan
| International
|  
SKorea mulls restricting missionary work in Mideast  
Trade revives as Palestinian cities reconnect
| International
|  
Iranians mourn Iraqi Shiite leader al-Hakim  
Georgia slams railway robbery in rebel Abkhazia
| International
|  
PLO picks new leaders at landmark meeting  
China lawmakers clarify role of riot police
| International
|  
Apple event expected soon, no tablet in sight  
Shi'ite cleric's death shakes up Iraq politics
| International
|  
Sharp eyes niche between netbooks, phones  
Nokia establishes unit to tie phones, services  
Microsoft cuts price of high-end Xbox model by $100  
Microsoft cuts high-end Xbox price by 25 percent
| Technology
|  
Facebook agrees to make Canada privacy changes
| Technology
|  
Driver, 83, chases DWI suspect through NY, Conn.  
Young Afghan freed from Guantanamo to sue US gov't  
Nokia unveils its first Linux phone
| Technology
|  
US missile strike 'kills four Taliban' in Pakistan  
UN expert: Australia breached Aborigines' rights  
Sharp eyes niche between netbooks, phones
| Technology
|  
The Nation's Weather  
Myanmar activist says China ignores junta's graft  
Fame didn't separate Kennedy from little guy  
Rapper Ja Rule in Aussie traffic 'mix-up'  
UN envoy slams 'entrenched' racism in Australia  
Hearing for suspect in 1980 killings of Wis. pair  
3 Muslim civilians killed in southern Thailand  
US Navy: Pirates fire on US helicopter  
Italy antitrust probes Google on coercion claim
| Technology
|  
Nokia establishes unit to tie phones, services
| Technology
|  
China denounces proposed Dalai Lama visit to Taiwan  
Memos: CIA pushed limits on sleep deprivation  
SKorea wants regular reunions for divided families  
US urges Yemen to go after growing al-Qaida threat  
Myanmar police arrest 6 suspects after drug bust  
Internet campaigning arrives cautiously in Japan  
STIMULUS WATCH: GOP opposes plan then seeks money  
Philippine Airlines to cut workers after big loss  
Bank of China's 1H profit down 2.5 pct  
Pakistani forex reserves ease to $12.85 bln  
Pakistan to sell $1 bln of bonds to settle fuel debt  
Japan's Mitsukoshi to axe 1,000 jobs: report  
Philippines economy grows 1pct in first half: govt  
China Telecom first-half profits drop 29 percent  
Air New Zealand profit slumps 90 percent  
SAIC 1H profit down 26 pct on Ssangyong investment  
Indonesia terror network 'larger than thought'  
Ten years on, 'impunity' reigns in ETimor: Amnesty  
Beijing rewards patriotic moviegoers  
SKorean disaster film biggest hit in 3 years  
U.S. stars pushing America to dance to Europe's beat  
Celebrity birthdays for Aug. 30-Sept. 5  
Green Day ends tour with exemplary arena show  
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro  
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found  
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever  
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production  
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time  
AMD to Start Production of piledriver  
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs  
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia  
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air  
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch  
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent  
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up  
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform  
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis  
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets  
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights