[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 103 (Wednesday, July 11, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H4810-H4811]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   BLOCKING PROPERTY OF PERSONS THREATENING THE PEACE, SECURITY, OR 
STABILITY OF BURMA--MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (H. 
                           DOC. NO. 112-123)

  The SPEAKER pro tempore laid before the House the following message 
from the President of the United States; which was read and, together 
with the accompanying papers, referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs and ordered to be printed:

To the Congress of the United States:
  Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 
U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), I hereby report that I have issued an 
Executive Order (the ``order'') that modifies the scope of the national 
emergency declared in Executive Order 13047 of May 20, 1997, as 
modified in scope in Executive Order 13448 of October 18, 2007, and 
relied upon for additional steps taken in Executive Order 13310 of July 
28, 2003, Executive Order 13448 of October 18, 2007, and Executive 
Order 13464 of April 30, 2008, and takes additional steps with respect 
to that national emergency.
  In Executive Order 13047, the President found that the Government of 
Burma committed large-scale repression of the democratic opposition in 
Burma after September 30, 1996, and further determined that the actions 
and policies of the Government of Burma constitute an unusual and 
extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the 
United States. To address that threat and to implement section 570 of 
the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Appropriations 
Act, 1997 (Public Law 104-208), the President in Executive Order 13047 
prohibited new investment in Burma. On July 28, 2003, the President 
issued Executive Order 13310, which contained prohibitions implementing 
certain provisions of the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 
(Public Law 108-61) and blocked the property and interests in property 
of persons listed in the Annex to Executive Order 13310 or determined 
by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of 
State, to meet designation criteria specified in Executive Order 13310. 
In Executive Order 13448, the President expanded the scope of the 
national emergency declared in Executive Order 13047, incorporated 
existing designation criteria set forth in Executive Order 13310, 
blocked the property and interests in property of persons listed in the 
Annex to Executive Order 13448, and provided additional criteria for 
designations of other persons. In Executive Order 13464, the President 
blocked the property and interests in property of persons listed in the 
Annex to Executive Order 13464 and provided additional criteria for 
designations of other persons.
  While the Government of Burma has made progress towards political 
reform in a number of areas, including by releasing hundreds of 
political prisoners, pursuing ceasefire talks with several

[[Page H4811]]

armed ethnic groups, and pursuing a substantive dialogue with the 
democratic opposition, this reform is fragile. I support this reform in 
Burma and the building of a democratic political process that will 
allow all of the people of Burma to be represented. However, I have 
found that the continued detention of political prisoners, efforts to 
undermine or obstruct the political reform process, efforts to 
undermine or obstruct the peace process with ethnic minorities, 
military trade with North Korea, and human rights abuses in Burma 
particularly in ethnic areas, effectuated by persons within and outside 
the Government of Burma, constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat 
to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. To 
address this situation, the order imposes additional measures with 
respect to Burma.
  The order provides criteria for designations of persons determined by 
the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with or at the 
recommendation of the Secretary of State:
  To have engaged in acts that directly or indirectly threaten the 
peace, security, or stability of Burma, such as actions that have the 
purpose or effect of undermining or obstructing the political reform 
process or the peace process with ethnic minorities in Burma;
  To be responsible for or complicit in, or responsible for ordering, 
controlling, or otherwise directing, or to have participated in, the 
commission of human rights abuses in Burma;
  To have, directly or indirectly, imported, exported, reexported, sold 
or supplied arms or related materiel from North Korea or the Government 
of North Korea to Burma or the Government of Burma;
  To be a senior official of an entity that has engaged in the acts 
described above;
  To have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, 
material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in 
support of, the acts described above or any person whose property and 
interests in property are blocked pursuant to the order; or
  To be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act 
for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property 
and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the order.
  I have delegated to the Secretary of the Treasury the authority, in 
consultation with the Secretary of State, to take such actions, 
including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all 
powers granted to the President by IEEPA as may be necessary to carry 
out the purposes of the order.
  All agencies of the United States Government are directed to take all 
appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions 
of the order.
  I am enclosing a copy of the Executive Order I have issued.
                                                        Barack Obama.  
The White House, July 11, 2012.

                          ____________________