US Suspends All Economic Sanctions on Burma

May 17, 2012 from VOA News

The United States is lifting all of its economic sanctions against the military-led government in Burma following the election to parliament of long-time pro-democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi. VOA State Department correspondent Scott Stearns reports, Washington will be sending its first ambassador to Burma in more than 20 years.

(more) (less)

In This Video

Myanmar

Burma, a historic name for the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, also known simply by another historic name, Myanmar, is a sovereign state in Southeast Asia bordered by China, Thailand, India, Laos and Bangladesh. One-third of Burma's total perimeter of 1,930 kilometres forms ... Explore this topic

Economic sanctions

Economic sanctions are domestic penalties applied by one country on another country. Economic sanctions may include various forms of trade barriers and restrictions on financial transactions. Economic sanctions are not necessarily imposed because of economic circumstances — th... Explore this topic

US Department of State

The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries. The Department was created... Explore this topic

National League for Democracy

The National League for Democracy is a Burmese political party founded on 27 September 1988. House Representative and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi serves as its General Secretary. The party won a substantial parliamentary majority in the 1990 Burmese general ele... Explore this topic

Myanmar by-elections, 2012

The 2012 Burmese by-elections were held on 1 April 2012. The elections were held to fill 46 vacant parliamentary seats. The main opposition party National League for Democracy was re-registered for the by-elections on 13 December 2011 as part of the reforms in Burma since 2010... Explore this topic

Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi MP AC is a Burmese opposition politician and chairperson of the National League for Democracy in Burma. In the 1990 general election, the NLD won 59% of the national votes and 81% of the seats in Parliament. She had, however, already been detained under house ... Explore this topic

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is an American politician and diplomat who was the 67th United States Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013, serving under President Barack Obama. She was previously a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of President Bi... Explore this topic

United States

The United States of America, commonly called the United States and America, is a federal republic consisting of fifty states and a federal district. The 48 contiguous states and the federal district of Washington, D.C. are in central North America between Canada and Mexico. T... Explore this topic

Voice of America

Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA provides a wide range of programming for b... Explore this topic

Also See

Myanmar

Economic sanctions

US Department of State

Watch Next

3:27

'Change' From Within? Burmese Skeptical of Obama's Impact

LinkAsia | Nov 21

US President Barack Obama's historic visit to Myanmar drew jubilant crowds. But as contributor Kenneth Wong reports from Rangoon, many there believ...