Myanmar drugs
Albright's tough talk is a direct hit

Myanmar government officials may have thought their debut as the newest
member state represented at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
would be a cake walk. But Secretary of State Madeleine Albright got
their attention Monday with a rhetorical pie right in the face.

She boldly accused Myanmar's leaders of allowing cheap heroin and
methamphetamines to flood the world, Ms. Albright's diplomatic message
was unusually forceful: Myanmar can expect a host of U.S. sanctions to
remain firmly in place until Rangoon gets serious about fighting drugs,
rather than profiting from them. Myanmar's representatives to the ASEAN
assembly were present during her remarks.

Tough U.S. policies are warranted. Already this year, the U.S. has
banned visas for certain Myanmar officials. And President Clinton
recently announced a ban on new U.S. investment in the country.

In addition, Washington has promised to veto international lending
institutions' loans to Myanmar. And it has established an alliance with
certain European nations to refuse to sell military items to Rangoon.

In her remarks, Ms. Albright naturally mentioned the ill effects of drug
trafficking on the United States. But she also provided a penetrating
insight into the issue when she noted that Myanmar's leaders were
tolerating an upswing in drug abuse among their own people, not to
mention a dramatic rise in AIDS cases. The situation is bound to
deteriorate as drug traffickers continue to transform themselves into
the leading lights of Myanmar business and society.

In standing up to what is essentially a rogue state, the U.S. must keep
its unusually strict policies toward Myanmar intact. Though drugs were
the dominant theme of Ms. Albright's remarks, the United States has
equal reason to be concerned about human rights and political freedom in
Myanmar. The policy should change when Myanmar's government shows
evidence of being more responsible toward its own people, Southeast Asia
and the world.