The White House scoffed at Myanmar's moves Saturday to ease restrictions imposed after violently cracking down on pro-democracy demonstrators. «The actions of the regime are `cosmetic'. What we need are signs of serious intent to move toward a democratic transition,» presidential press secretary Dana Perino said, according to AP. One day after President George W. Bush announced new penalties against the military-run government, the ruling junta said it was lifting a curfew and ending a ban on assembly. «The lifting of the curfew is not a good sign, but a bad sign that the regime now feels confident that it has cleared the monasteries of dissidents by either jailing them or sending them to their home villages, and arrested all the major players in the demonstrations and sent into hiding or exile those they have not captured,» Perino said. Myanmar's rulers also issued an unusual plea in state media for the detained opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to compromise and hold talks with the government. Bush says Myanmar needs to provide the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations access to political prisoners; allow Aung San Suu Kyi and other detained leaders to communicate with one another; and permit U.N. Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari to enter the country immediately. «If the regime is serious about talking to Aung San Suu Kyi why have they not sent the special envoy to meet with her?» Perino asked. «Why have they not invited Gambari to come back? Why have they not invited the ICRC to visit?» Expanding on punishments announced last month, Bush on Friday ordered the Treasury Department to freeze the U.S. assets of additional members of the Myanmar leadership. He also acted to tighten controls on U.S. exports to Myanmar, also known as Burma. In addition, he urged China and India to do more to pressure the government of the Southeast Asian nation. Last month, tens of thousands of people turned out for rallies, which started as protests against fuel price increases and then grew into the largest show of dissent in decades. The junta claims that 10 people were killed when troops opened fire on demonstrators to disperse them. Diplomats and dissidents say the death toll is much higher.
