US Congress Bans Gem Imports from Burma

I got this email from US Campaign for Burma::

Dear Bay Dah,

We are pleased to write to you with major news: last night the U.S. Congress passed new, enhanced sanctions legislation banning the import of gems from Burma. We want to thank the thousands of you who telephoned, emailed, and met with your members of the House of Representatives and Senate. We also want to acknowledge the hard work carried out by the members of the House and the Senate -- as well as their staff members -- who led this effort.

What Does the Legislation Do?
- This new law closes a gaping loophole in the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act that had previously allowed Burmese gems to be sold in the United States, even though most all other imports are banned. The Burmese regime's sale of rubies and jade brings them upwards of $300 million per year -- much of that from unsuspecting American consumers. Now, that will come to an end!

- The law also creates the position of a U.S. "Special Coordinator" for Burma, whose job will be to reach out to other countries to build support for Burma's human rights activists and ultimately seek a peaceful transition to democracy in the country.

Why The Legislation Is Important and Next Steps
- Similar to how "conflict diamonds" help prop up a civil war in Africa, the sale of Burmese rubies and jade funnelled hundreds of millions of dollars to Burma's military dictatorship, financing their reign of terror.
We still have much more work to do -- the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act must be renewed and gems weren't the only source of funds for the military regime -- but for one day we want to pause and celebrate an important step forward.

THANK YOU.
Aung Din, Jeremy Woodrum, Jennifer Quigley, Thelma Young, Jacqui Pilch

Related Link

Associated Press: US Congress passes new Myanmar gemstone sanctions bill,

Agence France Presse : US Congress approves legislation to bar Myanmar gems,

Shame on You !! Than Shwe and his dogs

Burmese People will never Forget General Aung San

He was the Founder of Burmese Army and He sacrificed his life for the Burma and Burmese people

According to the sources from inside Burma that Foreign Embassies were informed that they didn't need to attend the ArZarNi(Martyr's) Day Anniversary on 19 July due to the fact that the junta will only mark this very important occasion in Burmese History as the Township level occasion ONLY. (as a Burmese , I can't believe that they(junta) stoop that low!!! .. Bay Dah)


There is a Burmese proverb ... "A dog who ate the leather Blanket that he slept on without appreciating the fact the blanket gave him the place to sleep .. သေရ ေပၚ အိပ္၊ သေရ နား စား တဲ႕ ေခြး ".


Than shwe, you are same as that dog. May be worse than that dog.

General Aung San founded the Burmese Army and this is the fact you will never able to erase it.. You abused and misused of this patriotic Army to become your personal army for your personal gain instead of for the country and now you ignored the most Important person in Burmese History and Burmese Army History who sacrifice his life for the Burma Independence and you also ignored the one of the most Important day in Burmese History.



Burmese People will never forget Bogyoke(General) Aung San, no matter what all of you try to force the people to forget him. Bogyoke will always in Burmese People Heart.