Burmese President to Meet with US Lawmakers

Burmese President Thein Sein is to meet with senior lawmakers in Washington Tuesday as he continues his landmark visit to the United States.

The Burmese leader will meet with Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid, key senators who have helped guide the U.S. relationship with that Southeast Asian nation as it emerges from decades of direct military rule.

During a Monday meeting at the White House, President Barack Obama praised the ex-military general for leading a series of dramatic political and economic reforms since taking office in 2011.

"We very much appreciate your efforts and leadership in leading Myanmar in a new direction and we want you to know that the United States will make every effort to assist you on what I know is a long and sometimes difficult but ultimately correct path to follow," said Obama.

The Obama administration already has suspended most of its economic sanctions against Burma. It plans to go a step further on Tuesday, signing an agreement that U.S. officials say will boost trade, labor standards and investment.

But arguably one of the most important aspects of President Thein Sein's trip is its symbolic value. He is the first Burmese head-of-state to visit the U.S. in nearly 50 years.

Some rights groups argue that offering such a distinction to Burma's military dominated government sends the wrong message and wastes valuable leverage that could be used to push for more democratic reforms.

John Sifton, the Asia Advocacy Director at Human Rights Watch, said the White House invitation has come too soon, because he says many of Burma's changes are reversible.

"The reform [in Burma] is continuing, but there is a lot of stagnation, there's a lot of foot-dragging and things are slowing down. And if that's the case, then there have to be consequences," said Sifton.

But Sean Turnell, a Burma expert at Australia's Macquarie University, notes the situation is complicated for the Obama administration, which has made Burma a major part of its new foreign policy focus on Asia.

He said that some in Washington still may be deciding whether a carrot or stick approach is the best way to encourage more reforms in Burma.

"On the one hand, I think [Burma] is regarded by the Obama administration as a success, and I think they want to celebrate it," he said. "On the other hand, I think they're trying to balance things, they're trying to work out what would work best -- is it about rewarding Thein Sein for the reforms that have been put in place so far or the other argument, which is to hold him to the mark with respect to reforms not yet enacted?"

Aiming to keep that pressure up, small groups of protesters have been present at some stops on Thein Sein's trip this week. Outside the White House Monday, protesters carried signs demanding an end to ethnic violence targeting Burma's Muslims.

At a town hall meeting Sunday at the Voice of America, the Burmese leader said the communal violence against Muslims in western Burma is criminal activity, and not civil strife.  He also acknowledged what he called "heavy handed" actions by some police in their efforts to control political dissent in his country, and said both protesters and police must understand their responsibilities as democracy takes hold.

Burmese authorities have repeatedly disputed accusations by rights groups that security forces ignore or participate in the violence.

VOA News

May 21, 2013