Burma Activists Support U.S. Ban

Student activists on campus are celebrating the Clinton administration's long-awaited decision to ban new U.S. investment in Burma, which was announced yesterday.

"This is the biggest victory yet for the Free Burma movement," said Marco B. Simons '97, chair of the Harvard Burma Action Group (HBAG).

The sanctions come after years of alleged human rights violations by the Burmese government, a military dictatorship, which, according to Clinton, has become more repressive in recent months.

The Burmese government has subverted past democratic movements by jailing peaceful demonstrators and limiting political expression. In 1990, the government refused to recognize the landslide election victory by the National League for Democracy.

The sanctions will limit future investment by the United States--Burma's fourth largest investor--and come in the face of opposition from U.S. business leaders.

Officials hope that the United States' actions will prompt countries to follow suit, eventually forcing the Burmese government to form a dialogue with pro-democracy forces.

"The sanctions could have a big impact," said Soe Pyne, director of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB).

NCGUB is a Washington-based international organization that considers itself a provisional government. It consists of the democratically-elected officials exiled from Burma's 1990 elections, who are trying to restore human rights and democracy in Burma from afar.

But international groups are not the only ones working for change.

Formed in 1995, HBAG has worked to raise awareness on Harvard's campus by sponsoring speeches, conducting informal tabling and organizing protests.

Last year, the group convinced Harvard University Dining Services to reject a contract offer with Pepsi Co., which heavily invested in Burma at that time. Since then, Pepsi has ended its Burmese operations.

"The Pepsi Co. withdrawal was a result of what the students have done," said Pyne.

"Without the student movement, sanctions could not have come about," said Pyne. "Student movements get the most media coverage and have spurred a grass roots movement."

HBAG is also a member of the Free Burma Coalition, an umbrella organization based at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. The parent organization works closely with the NCGUB to lobby President Clinton and members of Congress.

"We should celebrate," said Simons. "There is still a lot of work to do, but we are making progress. Concrete steps forward really encourages us.

"The sanctions could have a big impact," said Soe Pyne, director of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB).

NCGUB is a Washington-based international organization that considers itself a provisional government. It consists of the democratically-elected officials exiled from Burma's 1990 elections, who are trying to restore human rights and democracy in Burma from afar.

But international groups are not the only ones working for change.

Formed in 1995, HBAG has worked to raise awareness on Harvard's campus by sponsoring speeches, conducting informal tabling and organizing protests.

Last year, the group convinced Harvard University Dining Services to reject a contract offer with Pepsi Co., which heavily invested in Burma at that time. Since then, Pepsi has ended its Burmese operations.

"The Pepsi Co. withdrawal was a result of what the students have done," said Pyne.

"Without the student movement, sanctions could not have come about," said Pyne. "Student movements get the most media coverage and have spurred a grass roots movement."

HBAG is also a member of the Free Burma Coalition, an umbrella organization based at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. The parent organization works closely with the NCGUB to lobby President Clinton and members of Congress.

"We should celebrate," said Simons. "There is still a lot of work to do, but we are making progress. Concrete steps forward really encourages us.