WASHINGTON, April 1 (UPI) -- U.S. sanctions on Myanmar should be kept in place until the regime embraces true political reform, U.S. lawmakers told the secretary of state.
Myanmar, formally known as Burma, described November general elections, the first in nearly 20 years, as a path toward a civilian government. The international community dismissed the elections as a sham, however.
The military junta in Myanmar was officially disbanded when power was transferred to what government leaders described as a civilian government. But the opposition Democratic Voice of Burma said many of the junta leaders were still in power behind the scenes.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy said economic sanctions imposed on the regime aren't having a negative influence on the rest of the country.
A group of lawmakers led by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., chairwoman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed support for Suu Kyi's position.
"(W)e agree that sanctions should be maintained until the regime undertakes serious reforms," the bipartisan letter read.
The letter calls on the State Department to work with Suu Kyi, appoint a special representative for Myanmar and tighten sanctions on the leaders of Myanmar.
"We believe that exercising such authority represents one of the most powerful instruments at our disposal for pressuring Burma's rulers to change course," the letter concluded.
