US Renews Pledge to Support Democracy in Burma

Reiterating the call to release Aung San Suu Kyi, the US o­n Wednesday urged the Burmese military government to “engage in a genuine dialogue” with leaders of the democratic movement.

Sean McCormack

In a statement marking the 19th anniversary of the popular Burmese democracy uprising in 1988, the US said the improvement of relations with Burma depends solely o­n what steps the military junta takes to restore democracy and protect human rights in the country.“We call o­n the regime to engage in a  genuine dialogue with leaders of the democracy movement and ethnic minority groups, to cease violence and human rights abuses against civilians and to lift restrictions o­n humanitarian organizations in Burma,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a press statement.

He commended the efforts of leaders of the Burmese democracy movement to continue their struggle against the military junta for nearly two decades in the face of unrelenting suppression from the government.
 “Our commitment to support the efforts of the Burmese to achieve democracy is steadfast and unwavering,” he said.

The US commitment, he said, is demonstrated in the renewal of important restrictions contained in the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act that was signed by US President George Bush o­n August 1.
The act was passed by Congress and received bipartisan support from lawmakers.

McCormack said: “Nineteen years ago today, the Burmese rose up calling for the restoration of democracy and an end to the misrule and the abuse of their human rights. Their calls for freedom were brutally suppressed and more than 3,000 Burmese died in the ensuing violence.”