U.S. eases sanctions on Burma

The United States said on Wednesday it was ready to relax some sanctions on Burma - also known as Myanmar - including a ban on U.S. companies investing in or offering financial services to the country. However, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stressed the Obama administration wanted to move cautiously, saying that the resource-rich southeast Asian country has a long way to go to shake off decades of military rule.

“Sanctions were introduced to try to pressure the government in Burma to make reforms of the kind that we’re seeing at the moment,” said Mark Farmaner, the director of Burma Campaign UK. He said western governments are being careful about lifting sanctions: “The U.S. is being cautious. They want to show the government of Burma that if they make genuine reforms, they will be rewarded for that. But at the same time, only limited steps have been taken so far by the government, and so they’re only lifting a limited amount of sanctions.”

He said the effects of last weekend’s election victory by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy party was a first step toward reform: “Aung San Suu Kyi is hoping to use this parliament as a platform to push for further reform for legislative change repealing repressive laws, and at a later stage constitutional change to try and make Burma more democratic.” Farmaner said, however, that the effects of the victory should not be overestimated: “There’s an enormous amount of challenges that Aung San Suu Kyi, and the NLD will face in this parliament… it’s a significant step and it’s more symbolic than politically significant at the moment and that’s why many people are concerned that the excitement and the importance attached to these by-elections is exaggerated far too much.”

Listen to the full interview of Mark Farmaner with Christopher Wells: