OTTAWA | March 30, 2012

PODCAST: A second look at sanctions in Burma

By Elizabeth McSheffrey       Producer Averie MacDonald
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On April 1, Burma will take a major step towards democracy. The country will hold a by-election – the first election in which national hero, opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi will be permitted to run. After 50 years of military rule, the election is a sign of hope for many wishing to see a more democratic Burma.

Canada imposed economic sanctions on Burma in 1988, in response to the human rights abuses and punishment of protesters by the military government. Earlier this month, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird visited Burma to award Suu Kyi with honourary Canadian citizenship. He applauded the Burmese government’s progress and offered support for its transition to democracy.

Burmese Ambassador to Canada Kyaw Tin
Burmese Ambassador to Canada Kyaw Tin

He did not however, remove the sanctions.

This week's podcast explores whether sanctions in Burma have been effective and if they should now be removed. Reporter Elizabeth McSheffrey speaks with two people who know the issue well: Burmese Ambassador to Canada Kyaw Tin and Mahmud Naqi, a graduate student at Carleton University, and an expert on security conflicts in Burma.

Podcast guests

Kyaw Tin is the Burmese Ambassador to Canada. He was appointed in April 2011 after serving as the director-general of the political department of the Burmese Foreign Affairs Ministry. He has 30 years of foreign affairs experience and previously worked at the Burmese embassy in Ottawa.

Carleton University student Mahmud Naqi
Carleton University student Mahmud Naqi
Mahmud Naqi is a master's student at Norman Patterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University. Naqi's major research interests are in the regional security implications of ethnic conflict in South Asia, particularly Burma, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. He has been invited to present papers on these issues at several graduate student conferences, has worked on a development project in India and as a research assistant in Pakistan.  
Canada's sanctions against Burma

In 1988, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada imposed economic and trade sanctions against Burma in response to "the abhorrent human rights and humanitarian situation" taking place at the hands of the government. In 2007, Canada tightened the sanctions after determining the Burmese government's actions "not only oppress its own people, but also bring substantial transnational destabilizing effects which threaten peace and security."

Subject to certain exceptions, the measures implemented by the Regulations include:

  • a ban on all goods exported from Canada to Burma, excepting only the export of humanitarian goods;
  • a ban on all goods imported from Burma into Canada;
  • a freeze on assets in Canada of any designated Burmese nationals connected with the Burmese state;
  • a ban on new investment in Burma by Canadian persons and companies;
  • a prohibition on the provision of Canadian financial services to and from Burma;
  • a prohibition on the export of any technical data to Burma;
  • a prohibition on Canadian-registered ships or aircraft from docking or landing in Burma;
  • a prohibition on Burmese-registered ships or aircraft from docking or landing in Canada and passing through Canada

Source: Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, 2008