US asks China, India to join hands on Burma

Washington, June 3: The US on Jun 2 asked India and China to join hands with it to achieve true democracy in Burma and protection of human rights of its people, saying the two Asian nations "remain important" for engaging the Burmese regime.

"We will continue to call on China and India and other neighboring countries to cooperate with us on this issue," Joe Yun, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said at a Congressional hearing.

The United States alone cannot achieve progress in Burma, he told lawmakers.

"We are tirelessly working with our European allies and our ASEAN and regional partners to urge the Burmese government to constructively engage with the international community and address these long-standing issues," he said.

"India and China remain important to this issue and we regularly discuss our concerns with them about the Burmese regime," Joe said, adding that the Administration is in complete agreement with the Congress Act that call for a unified and comprehensive approach to promote long-overdue change for the Burmese people aspiring for genuine and meaningful progress.

Noting that challenges in Burma remain daunting and the human rights situation deplorable, he said though Aung San Suu Kyi is free, over 2,000 political prisoners languish in detention, the conflicts and the attacks against civilians continue in the ethnic minority areas, and millions of Burmese citizens are denied basic rights including freedom of speech, assembly, and association.

PTI