The Hindu : Myanmar lashes out at U.S.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 17, 2003

International

International

Myanmar lashes out at U.S.

YANGON july 16. Myanmar's military rulers lashed out on Wednesday at the United States for moving toward imposing tough economic sanctions, calling them ``weapons of mass destruction'' that would create havoc in their Southeast Asian country.

Dissidents welcomed the U.S. move, but some observers cautioned that the sanctions would hurt ordinary people in Myanmar while failing to topple the junta.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted Tuesday to impose sanctions in response to the junta's latest detention of the Opposition leader and Nobel Peace laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as its crackdown on her pro-democracy party.

The generals moved against Ms. Suu Kyi after a deadly May 30 clash between her supporters and government backers.

The U.S. vote came a month after the Senate approved a similar measure. The President, George W. Bush, was expected to sign the bill into law when the two chambers agree on a common version. A Myanmarspokesman said in a faxed statement that ``sanctions, by definition, shut down interaction'' and stop the flow of ideas.

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