Bush signs order to further crackdown on Myanmar

By DEB RIECHMANN Friday, May 2, 2008

WASHINGTON - President Bush on Thursday froze the assets of state-owned companies in Myanmar propping up the nation's military junta, which has been condemned by the international community for suppressing pro-democracy dissidents.

"These companies, in industries such as gems and timber, exploit the labor of the downtrodden Burmese people, but enrich only the generals," Bush said about Myanmar, also known as Burma.

The new order allows the Bush administration to go after state-owned enterprises — something it previously didn't have the authority to do. The U.S. government already has the power to go after individuals and companies.

In remarks at the White House marking Asian Pacific American heritage month, Bush said the military regime in Myanmar continues to reject the will of its people to live under leaders of their own choosing.

"Over the past eight months, my administration has tightened sanctions on the regime," he said. "We've imposed visa bans on the junta's generals and their families and their cronies, trying to send a clear message, and we hope the rest of the world follows as well."

Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962.

Its government has been widely criticized for human rights abuses and suppression of pro-democracy parties such as the one led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for more than a decade.

The ruling junta, run by Than Shwe, refused to honor the results of 1990 general elections won by Suu Kyi's party.

Last September, at least 31 people were killed and thousands more detained when the military cracked down on peaceful protests led by Buddhist monks and democracy advocates.

Dissidents in Myanmar and exile groups elsewhere have urged voters to vote on May 10 against the constitution, saying it is merely a ploy to perpetuate more than four decades of military rule.

"The people of Burma have long awaited the opportunity to live in a true democracy," Bush said. "The referendum vote scheduled for May 10, 2008 could have been that opportunity. However, Than Shwe and his regime are ensuring that the referendum vote will be on a dangerously flawed constitution, and will not be free, fair, or credible."

Bush said the military regime continues to ignore calls from the Burmese people and the international community for a process that could result in a legitimate constitution. "They continue to carry out a campaign to intimidate voters, and to arrest those who dare speak out against the flaws of the referendum and draft constitution," he said.

The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued an order against Myanmar Gem Enterprise, Myanmar Pearl Enterprise and Myanmar Timber Enterprise, companies owned or controlled by the state, said Treasury Department spokesman John Rankin.

The action means that any assets found in the United States belonging to the three companies are blocked. Americans are prohibited from doing business with them. The rationale behind designating the three companies is that they are an important source of money for the military regime, Rankin said.

"The United States will continue to pressure Burma's rulers until they respond to the legitimate calls of the Burmese people for a genuine dialogue leading to a democratic transition," Bush said.

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