WASHINGTON:
The United States on Tuesday eased
financial restrictions to allow US-based non-governmental groups to operate in
Myanmar, putting into place an incentive to encourage democratic reforms.
The
Treasury Department said that it would no longer bar financial transactions in
the country formerly known as Burma if the money is going toward projects that
"meet basic human needs" or promote democracy.
Such
projects include assistance to internally displaced people, English-language
schools as well as delivery of clothes, food and medicine. The move also lets
US missionaries spend money in the heavily Buddhist nation.
The
actions were in line with an April 4 announcement by Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, who sought to reward reformers who permitted by-elections swept by the
long-repressed opposition.
In a
statement Tuesday to celebrate Myanmar's Thingyan new year, Clinton said that
the once isolated country "has taken important steps on an historic new
path toward democracy and economic development."
"As
you build a brighter future filled with new opportunities, the United States
will continue to work with you to strengthen mutual understanding and trust
between our two countries and peoples," she said.
The
April 1 by-elections saw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning
democracy activist who had spent most of the past two decades under house
arrest, win a seat in the military-dominated parliament.
The
order issued by the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control
made clear that restrictions would remain in place against individuals in
Myanmar seen as responsible for repressing democracy or violating human rights.
President
Barack Obama's administration has promised to offer step-by-step incentives to
Myanmar as President Thein Sein carries out reforms that few would have
considered possible a little more than a year ago.
State
Department spokesman Mark Toner said that the United States was also moving
ahead to implement the other steps announced earlier this month by Clinton.
Clinton,
who paid a landmark visit to Myanmar in December, promised on April 4 to
quickly appoint an ambassador to the country to restore full diplomatic
relations for the first time in more than two decades.
Clinton
also pledged a wider lifting of financial restrictions on Myanmar that could
allow US investment in select areas and potentially bring credit cards into the
country, one of the few where MasterCard, Visa and American Express are never
accepted.
Aung
Din, a former political prisoner who heads the US Campaign for Burma advocacy
group, said he supported Tuesday's action on non-governmental groups but was
concerned about a larger easing of sanctions.
Easing
the ban on financial services "may allow the cronies and the military to
be able to use US dollars in their transactions," he said.
Noting
that Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy will have only a sliver of seats
in parliament, Aung Din said the United States needed to use sanctions
carefully to ensure that national elections slated for 2015 are truly free and
competitive.
US
officials have said that they are refocusing sanctions to target institutions
such as the military, seen in Washington as one of the biggest impediments to
reform due to participation in abuses and ethnic conflict.
The US
action comes one day after Australia said it would lift travel and other
restrictions against President Thein Sein and more than 200 other people in
Myanmar. The European Union is also expected to ease sanctions this month.
In the
United States, the removal of most sanctions would require approval by
Congress.
-
AFP/wk
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Healthcare and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programmes. Many thanks for visiting www.yourvietnamexpert.com and/or contacting us at contact@yourvietnamexpert.com
No comments:
Post a Comment