Washington – First lady Laura Bush has a message for the citizens of Myanmar: The world is watching.
The recent crackdown by the Southeast Asian nation’s military government on pro-democracy activists must end, she told reporters at the White House on Wednesday. The residents of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, are suffering, she said.
“I want them to know that the rest of the world does condemn these actions of the Burmese government, the harassment and jailing of political peaceful demonstrators,” Laura Bush said. “All these demonstrators want is for the government to be responsive to them.”
The ruling military junta in Myanmar has detained scores of activists and used gangs of hired thugs to snuff out protests that began Aug. 19 over higher fuel and consumer prices.
President Bush, in Australia for a summit of Pacific Rim leaders, also condemned the recent violence.
“It’s inexcusable that we have this kind of tyrannical behavior in Asia,” Bush said at a news conference in Sydney with Australian Prime Minister John Howard. Bush said he planned to discuss the issue with the 20 other summit leaders.
During her interview, the first lady raised the imprisonment of Nobel laureate and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent more than 11 of the past 18 years in detention.
“She represents to me really the hopes of everyone in Burma … who long for a day of democracy there,” Laura Bush said.
