A top US State Department official says Washington is still considering a push for a United Nations Security Council resolution against Burma's ruling military regime.
Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill says efforts to encourage international pressure on Burma's government are beginning to pay off as more countries urge Rangoon to ease its suppression of the democratic opposition. Hill made his comments at a joint hearing of two House subcommittees.
Hill said there are few places where democracy has been suppressed and human rights violated as brutally as Burma. He called the Burmese government's policies "xenophobic and irrational" that increasingly threaten the region.
Hill also said the United States continues to press for the release of detained pro democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi. He said the most recent request was last week.
Others who testified before the Congressional committees included a former Burmese political prisoner, a member of the country's oppressed ethnic Shan minority and human rights activists.
Information for this report is provided by AP and AFP.
