The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday unanimously adopted sanctions against military-ruled Myanmar, targeting the Southeast Asian country's gemstone exports and natural-gas industry. The sanctions, which were in response to the military government's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in September and October, also freeze the assets of Myanmar's leaders and prevent them or their families from using U.S. financial institutions via third countries. The legislation, if approved by the Senate and the president, will stop the military government's practice of avoiding U.S. sanctions by “laundering” gemstones through third countries for sale in the United States and end tax-benefits enjoyed by U.S. energy giant Chevron on revenues earned from its natural-gas project in Myanmar. “Today's legislation hits these military dictators where it hurts-in the pocketbook,” said Representative Tom Lantos, the Democratic chairman of the chamber's foreign affairs committee and author of the bill. “The peaceful protesters of Burma are human-rights heroes, and the reprehensible military dictators ruling them deserve to be nothing less than international pariahs for their dismal human-rights record,” Lantos said. Washington refers to Myanmar by its previous name, Burma.
