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The Mrnistry of Foreign Affairs of the Union of Mvarurar issued Arnouncement No.1 196 dated 4 October 1996 regarding the rmposition of yisa restrictions on certarn categories of lxgh level officials ul the US Government. It n:as atso learnt that visas to ordinarry US citizens. businessmen. or officials and suDDorting staff a.sien"d to the US lUission in Mvar*a.. The followrng is the full tert
of the Armouncement.
Govcrlltnclnt o1'the Union of lr't1'zurmar Ir{inrstry of Foreign Aflairs

Announcement No. l/96

(Dated: 7th l'\Ianing olTar,rthalin 1358 ME 4 October 1996)

in kceputg rvrr-ir ihc Nauonai Poiicv of *re Three Nlain Naiio;rai peacehrl' C.au-ses ancl u'ith a \'le\\' to achicr:lg t-lre National Goai of a pro.sperous, u:odenr anij dcveloped State. ilre State Law ald Crdcr
f 'inrplemetrlrng the politrcal, ecottotnic Rcstoration Cou-ucil rs vrgot'oLrsly' and social ob.iective,c ftr:' the pro!:rcss and rvelt'arc of the people'

(a) The state Lgu, and ordcr

Rcstoration council is systemancalll' urrdertaklrg llreasutss for a SmOOth Eatusition tr: a multi-paq' democratis State in accordance with tfie

and C6rurtrl,'s tristorical backgfOUnd, Culfure. CuslOms, t'alues trad.itioul us u,cll as with the objective conrJrtions in the

nation.

(b)

The Naiional Convention forrrrcd *'i{l repruscntatives fiorn tbe 8-srata is bcing hcld for tire fittrrgence of the state Constitul:ion wiriclt i,s essffitial tbr the country' Significant progress has bccn achicved in this regard. The National

dialogue among the represe0tatives of the cntire speulrum of the society and also slmbolizes the will o{'thc peuple' convention

is the foruht fbr

(c) . Because o[ tlte prionty aocurdcd and the relentless efforts - trnderrakn l),r'the Statc Law and Orcler Restoration Council for national rcconsolidatiog, (15) atured'ploups antl llte MTA led by U Ktrun sa had aL cady returned to the legal

fold and Myatut:ar Naiirg-Ngan is

eqioytng

pcace'

tranquillity as ncver beIu"c in its nroderu history.

(d)

Similady, st,uu,J ec,unumic foundations for the sustained ald rapid groutlr of tlre state ecollomy has been tard down ba-sed
on thc markcl-crrientcd coorrotrric s)'stetrl

72

(e)

hevalenoe of law and order and comrntrnitv peacc arld tranquilii'ty are essential in creating these favourablc conditions ir: tlie State. The CoventrnL:nt of the Uruort of Myanma'thcrefore has taken nreasules towards this end and will cOntr,nue to do so rn fuh5e- I1 Myarunar, leg'al actron is taken only rln thosc rrho transgress tlte law. No legal aotion has been takcrr on aryone on the EOgnds of [is or her political conviction. There art no politrcal pdsoners in
Myanma:'.

The United $tates. dislegarding *re true sir.uation in the nation, is giving undue Bnd utru'alrautcd pressures on Myantnar. [n tlus respect. the Covernment of tlte Urriurr uf Myanmar deeply reprets the decision of the Uaited States Arlrninistt'ation to irupose visa restrictiuns on ce(ain Myarmar nationals. Such an action ncgatively affects the existing bilateral relations. Thc Proclamation issued try the US Prcsident on *? Ocrober i996, can onl1' be considered as an attempt to interlbrc in the internel affairs of the Union of Myarurrar and aS a rncans of gi\.iug
pressure.

3.

Thc hoclamation of the US Presidcnt alleges that Myanmar oontinues to detain significant nunbcrs o[ ddv elested members of
parliament, NLD ac;tivists, and other persons attcmpting to pror:rote dcmocratic changes in M.r-anmar; tzuled to ente,: into serious dialogue with the dem.ocratic opposition and repfesentativcs of the country's etbnio n'.inorities; _ failed to tneve toward achieving national reconoiliation; and 'failcd to rncct intcruatrorallS, rccognizcrl standards of hurnan rights. 'flrese allcgaliorls, however? are not in aonforrnity with the tme situa.tion and the progrcss aohieved in the country as uretttiotted in thc Paragraph (t), sub-paras (a) to (e) and also ignore the positive political, cconomio, social developnterts taki.ng place in the counhy. Ihe Covernment ol' tire Utrion o[ Myanmar, as such, catcgori.caUy rej ects the entire Prc.s i dc n tial Proclzutul ion,

4.

the Croventment of the tlujon of Myarmar wishes to have cto.ser ..161i9rr$ with the United States, it is oonrpcllcd to issuc rnsa restrictions for cedain oategories of US citizens. Except as required L'y treaty obligations and officials and other supporting staffassigpcd to thc US mission in M1'anmar, the issualcc of UnAer

tle circ.umstances, although

to l'Jnited fitates citizens specifietl atl trpes of visas bar; been suspended hereinrnder:

(a)Pcrsonswhoformulateorimplementpoliciesthatimpede democratic
the proccss families,

StateintheijrtiorlofMyarrrtrarrutdmembcrsoftheir
&)AnyotherpersanswhomtheGovernmcntoftlrcUnionot. slarr')Bt' to have acted or to be acting ls s
interferingint]reuttcrtralaffair'sofMyurmarand/orincihag potiticatagrtatronsa.nddishrrbancesandtnernbersoftirerr
families'

'f

smooth transiuon to a multi-party

Myanmar i*nr. thc state' il)cludtng persL)ns dctrimcntal to thc intercsts of

5'ThcMinistcrforForcignAtralISshalldeterminetheperson.s\r'i]o fail wi[dn this visa rcstric'tiou'

67.

uil ltte date of its issuance' This anuounct;tuettt trccornes efleOtrve

of tne unlQil of tvrJ{rlr tlt the Untttn ur Myanmar in its national or permanently' the re$trictiotts interests may waive, tcmporarily

Ihe

GOVerrurleut

mentioned rn Paragraph (a) above'

Yangon

Dated :4 Ootober l!)96