Suu Kyi Wins ‘Trumpet of Conscience’ Award

By LALIT K JHA

WASHINGTON — Burmese democratic leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on Sunday was presented with the prestigious Trumpet of Conscience Award by Realizing the Dream, a non-profit organization set up in honor of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The award was presented by Queen Noor of Jordan and Martin Luther King III, the son of King, who heads the Realizing the Dream foundation.

The award was accepted by Aung Ding, the executive director of US Campaign for Burma, on behalf of Aung San Suu Kyi.

"Daw Aung San Suu Kyi epitomizes the ideals of this award," Queen Noor said in her speech. "She is a freedom fighter and passionate advocate for the use of non-violent action against repression and military force."

"A dedicated practitioner of Buddhism, a dedicated student of Gandhian principles and a follower of Dr. King's teachings, Aung San Suu Kyi has led her followers in Burma to engage the repressor with calm, passion and collective conviction," Queen Noor said.
In his speech, Aung Din said he hopes President-elect Barack Obama will uphold existing economic sanctions and lead a strong diplomatic effort to organize the international community to put collective pressure on the regime.

"As Dr. King did, and as you all do, Aung San Suu Kyi has a dream; her dream is simple and innocent: She wants to help people to have freedom from fear, freedom from oppression and freedom to exercise their fundamental rights," Aung said.

"She encourages people to stand against injustice. She requests the military regime to start a meaningful political dialogue and to engage in national reconciliation amongst all stakeholders in Burma," he said.

However, her quest for peace is being denied by the military regime, which wants to maintain their ruthless power by whatever means necessary, Aung said.

Meanwhile, a powerful US lawmaker has protested against the decision of the Bush Administration to wave sanctions against some of the supporters of the Burmese military regime.

A day after the Bush Administration slapped sanctions against more than a dozen individual and companies supporting the junta, it lifted sanctions against some of those who were earlier on the list.

"I am disappointed at the decision to waive sanctions against all unnamed persons subject to the JADE Act, and believe it is contrary to the law," said Representative Howard L. Berman, the chairman of the House Committee of Foreign Affairs.

Administration officials, however, asserted that there has been no lifting of sanctions, but only a technical change.

"Now those who are supporting the Burmese military clique and who have not yet been publicly identified by the Treasury Department will get a free pass—just what Congress was trying to prevent," Berman said.

"It is puzzling that a president who has professed support for Burmese advocates for freedom has made a decision in his final days in office that was both unnecessary and so contrary to his past actions," Berman said in a statement.

The US lawmaker said the Congress passed the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE (Junta's Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act (H.R. 3890) in July to stop Burma from importing jade and rubies into the United States, freeze the assets of Burma's leaders and prevent the subsidizing of business activities in Burma by the few U.S. companies that continue to support the regime.

It is intended to halt the Burmese practice of avoiding US sanctions by laundering gemstones through third-party countries before they are sold here, he said.

In addition to blocking their importation, it freezes the assets of Burmese political and military leaders and human rights abusers, prevents Burma from using US financial institutions to launder the funds of those individuals or their immediate families, and prohibits them from receiving visas to the US, Berman said.