It will send an important message to the Generals in Rangoon that they cannot continue to rule against the will of their own people with impunity. However, though these new measures are welcome, they do not address the most important aspect of European support for the regime, namely foreign investment. Investment from European companies in Burma provides the regime with the foreign capital it desperately needs.
British investment is larger than most other foreign sources of capital.
The Burma Campaign UK proved at the High Court in December 1999 that the UK could legally impose a unilateral ban on British investment in Burma. This would affect British companies like Premier Oil UK, which is a major supporter of the junta. And we would like them to be aware of the fact that unilateral sanctions are better than no sanctions at all. She has explicitly called for unilateral investment sanctions against the regime in the absence of multilateral agreement on such sanctions. However, the real goal must be to stop European companies fuelling the awful oppression suffered by Burma's people.