The US Senate unanimously adopted a resolution Friday urging an upcoming Asean summit to suspend military-ruled Myanmar from the grouping for its bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
The move came as President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda condemned Myanmar's military generals for the violent suppression in September, after talks at the White House. First Lady Laura Bush, separately, urged foreign companies to shun a just opened Myanmar gem show aimed at reaping much-needed foreign currency amid tightening Western sanctions.
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) had issued a rare rebuke to Myanmar's military junta following the crackdown, expressing "revulsion" and demanding that the generals immediately stop the use of violence against protesters.
"It is now time for Asean to back its words with actions," said Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer from California, whose resolution was adopted Friday ahead of next week's Asean summit in Singapore.
Her resolution said the US Congress "would welcome a decision by Asean, consistent with its core documents and its new charter, to review Burma's membership in Asean and to consider appropriate disciplinary measures, including suspension, until such time as the Government of Burma has demonstrated an improved respect for and commitment to human rights."
Asean leaders, at their meeting, plan to sign a landmark charter, which seeks to promote human rights and democracy, but rights groups say there is no clear mechanism for the association to take action against Myanmar.
The regime told a UN rights investigator Friday that 14 people were killed in the military suppression of pro-democracy protests led by Buddhist monks in September in the main city of Yangon, described as the biggest anti-government demonstrations in nearly 20 years.
Amnesty International has estimated that 700 people arrested over the protests were still in detention, although the government has said only about 90 of the nearly 3,000 originally rounded up are still being held. The crackdown was condemned globally, with the United States and European Union stepping up sanctions against Myanmar.