Terming the recent military crackdown on peaceful protestors in Burma “shameful”, the US first lady, Laura Bush, on Wednesday said Burmese Snr-Gen Than Shwe should step down in favor of a government run by legitimate leaders.
Bush urged the Security Council to issue a clear resolution that calls for release of the Burmese political prisoners, an end to the regime's crackdown and a real dialogue that leads to a peaceful transition to democracy.
The statement by the First Lady was read at a congressional hearing on Burma by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
"The U.S. believes it is time for Gen Than Shwe and the junta to step aside and to make way for a unified Burma governed by legitimate leaders,” Bush said. “We urge other governments to join the United States in condemning the junta's use of violence and in working toward freedom in Burma.”
She said the video now coming out of Burma confirms that the abuse of protesters is more brutal than initially described, and that there are likely many more fatalities than the 10 confirmed by the military regime.
Among the experts asked to give testimony before the congressional panel were Scott Marciel, deputy assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs; Michael Green, a senior adviser and the Japan chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Tom Malinowski, the Washington advocacy director for Human Rights Watch; and Aung Din, the policy director and co-founder of the U.S. campaign for Burma.
Sen John Kerry, one of the few US lawmakers who have met Aung San Suu Kyi, questioned the seriousness of the United Nations and China and said: “We have to finish what the people of Burma have started with the people of Burma. This means getting the international community to provide the pressure to this military junta to release all political prisoners, starting with Aung San Suu Kyi and take steps down the path of political reform.”
Taking a tough position on China, Kerry, who met the Chinese ambassador on Tuesday, said: “The fact is that these generals in the junta, who have now moved their capital some 200 miles from the old capital, literally a bunker within a bunker of a country, they are surviving today because of their economic relationship with China and the world needs to understand that. China needs to understand that we understand it.”
Observing that China and India are the two biggest players in Burma, Sen Mitch McConnell said: “Their attitude seems to be largely it'd be bad for business to start siding with the pro-democracy forces.”
Sen Diane Feinstein, who also met the Chinese ambassador along with Kerry, said recent Chinese statements reflect that there was a change in their position on Burma.
“I think, China has taken the first step. I think we should encourage China to really step up and to really interface with the junta leadership.” She said it is time for the Bush administration to pull together India, China, the other major powers of the region, and encourage Asean to abandon its non-confrontational stance and join the US in an investment and import ban.
Scot Marciel, the deputy assistant secretary of state for east Asian and pacific affairs, said: “The brutal suppression of peaceful protest has only reinforced this administration's commitment, at the highest levels, to ensure that democracy is realized in Burma.” He said the US will work to turn the international outrage into increased pressure on the regime to move in a positive direction.
“We are coordinating closely with the British, the French, and other like-minded partners. We are reaching out to the Asean nations, whose foreign ministers issued an unprecedented statement last week, directly criticizing the regime and urging the kinds of political reforms we have been seeking.”
Marciel noted that Asean has taken a firmer stance, Japan is considering some kind of sanctions and India too has broken its long silence.
“After not speaking out for a long time, India, yesterday, called upon the Burmese military to investigate incidents of excessive use of force against pro-democracy protesters,” he said. “That was a positive step, but India can and should do more, given its influence with the regime.” he said.
Marciel said: “There have been a number of high-level discussions with the Indians...we have made it very clear to India that we felt that, particularly as a democracy, it needed to step up and use its influence with the regime to press for exactly the things that everyone here has talked about.”
Michael Green, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic International Studies in Washington, said the US has to push harder on the Security Council for a resolution.
