It's time for USA to slap economic sanctions on Islamist Malaysia

It’s time for USA to slap economic sanctions on Islamist Malaysia, the islamist state of Malaysia has gone berserk, violating basic human rights

USA should be lauded for imposing economic sanctions against the Govt. of Myanmar for the Government’s suppression of human rights of Burmese citizens.

What is happening in the Islamist state of Malaysia is an affront to human dignity, human rights and honour of the citizens of the world.

USA as the super-power should be the guardian of morality among states and should declare that Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar’s atrocious statements are unacceptable to civil society.

Citizens of the world should strongly urge USA to slap economic sanctions against the Malaysian state.

American voters are urged to call upon the US Congress and Senate to slap economic sanctions with immediate effect.

kalyan

Islamist Malaysian state attacks US

Kuala Lumpur, Dec 13: Citing the presence of over 70,000 Hindu temples, Malaysia has rejected criticism by the US while asking it to probe its own human rights record at home and in Iraq.

A US Congress-appointed commission had expressed concern at the destruction of Hindu temples and other alleged discrimination faced by religious minorities in Malaysia.
Reacting strongly, but asking his countrymen to ignore it, Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the Indian government knew for a fact that the Indians in Malaysia were not being mistreated.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom had urged the Bush Administration to raise the matter with Malaysian government and insisted that immediate measures be taken to protect sacred sites and prevent further destruction.
"I have not seen many temples in other countries but in Malaysia, there are over 70,000 temples. In some places, we even have problems getting approvals to build mosques," Albar said.

The ethnic Indian community has been in the news recently after the Malaysian police cracked down on a rally Nov 25 of more than 10,000 who were protesting against marginalisation of the ethnic Indian community in that country and also to support a $4 trillion lawsuit filed in London in August by Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), a rights group demanding that Britain compensate Malaysian Indians for bringing their ancestors to the country as indentured laborers and exploiting them.
Albar said the police action against demonstrations and rallies in recent weeks was to maintain peace and stability and was within the norms of universal practice, the New Straits Times reported Thursday.

If they (demonstrators) want to get together within the law and not cause problems to other citizens, the government will have no problem with that. But if they want to jeopardise public safety, we definitely have to take action.

"What our police and other authorities have done is acceptable worldwide. They have been very cautious before taking action.

"But public freedom does not mean chaos. Even the US government will not allow this to happen in America," he said, adding that the US government clearly did not understand the situation in Malaysia.

On the US human rights report, Syed Hamid said, "The US writes reports on every country because they think they are the superpower." He took a dig at the US' own human rights record, as it has unilaterally detained thousands of people without trial in Guantanamo Bay.

US soldiers have also been found to have murdered and tortured hundreds of people in the detention camp and in Iraq, he charged.

"We should not over-react to US comments because they themselves have a lot of things in their backyard. They should try to settle their own problems and not interfere."
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has denied the charge of ethnic cleansing levelled by Hindraf that alleged that 35,000 Hindu temples have been destroyed by the Malaysian authorities since the independence in 1957.

Malaysia rebuffed the expression of concerns by the Indian government, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.

Subsequently, it told New Delhi that it suspected Hindraf of having links with Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eeelam (LTTE) that has listed as a terrorist body by the UN, the US, the UK, India and others.

Indian immigrants, mostly Tamil Hindus, form eight percent of Malaysia's 27 million population.

http://www.khabrein.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9985&Itemid=88&limit=1&limitstart=1

US House passes bill hitting Myanmar gems, Chevron

By Paul Eckert, Asia Correspondent

WASHINGTON, Dec 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday blocking imports of Myanmar rubies and removing tax credits for U.S. firms investing in the military-ruled Southeast Asian country.

The Block Burmese JADE (Junta's Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act, drafted after Myanmar's suppression of pro-democracy protests in September, was approved as the junta rejected a U.N. report putting the death toll from that crackdown at 31.
The legislation, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Tom Lantos, bans the import of Myanmar gems into the United States, freezes the assets of the country's leaders and stops the former Burma from using U.S. financial institutions via third countries to launder funds of its leaders or close relatives.

His amendment to U.S. trade sanctions imposed in 2003 also targets the sale in America of rubies routed through China, India and Thailand to circumvent curbs on trade with Myanmar.

The bill, which must be approved by the U.S. Senate and signed into law by President George W. Bush, also would stop the U.S. oil major Chevron Corp from taking tax deductions on its investment in Myanmar's Yadana natural gas field.

"The vile reaction of the Burmese junta to peaceful calls for democracy showed the world the moral bankruptcy of this regime," said Lantos, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs.

"Unfortunately, the thugs in charge are not in a state of economic bankruptcy to match. Today's legislation hits these military dictators where it hurts -- in the pocketbook," he said in a statement after the bill passed unopposed.

CHEVRON QUESTIONS MEASURE
Lantos has estimated that Myanmar produces more than 90 percent of the world's rubies and fine-quality jade and that the military junta is projected to make $300 million this year from the gem trade.

California-based Chevron said its stake in the Yadana gas pipe-line made it a "constructive, positive force" that helped support energy needs and economic growth and provided health and social development programs for local communities.
"Chevron shares congressional concerns for a peaceful resolution, however punitive tax measures against one company will not serve the purpose of helping the people of Myanmar and may have unintended consequences," it said in a statement.

Chevron warned that holding back taxes to the Myanmar government could lead it to violate its contract and possibly face a seizure of assets.

Aung Din, director of the U.S. Campaign for Burma, a pro-democracy group, called the legislation a timely rebuke to Myanmar generals as they defy U.N. recommendations for dialogue with opponents, including detained Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

"This is the time for the international community to increase pressure against the Burmese military junta," he said.

Myanmar has been under military control since a 1962 coup. The army held elections in 1990, but refused to hand over power after suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy. (Additional reporting by Tom Doggett, edited by Richard Meares)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/feedarticle?id=7144932