Mission of Burma
Berkeley again leads march toward human rights

More than 15 years ago, Berkeley, Calif., became one of the first cities in the United States to support the anti-apartheid movement. In 1979 the Berkeley City Council enacted investment restrictions and in 1986 it began a ban on all South African goods.

Now that apartheid has been defeated, Berkeley is again leading another social movement by voting to ban all business with companies involved in Burma.

The ban on South African goods proved that such a sanction can work. Berkeley has taken the first step toward stopping the Burmese government's terroristic regime. The military junta has been found to torture and execute political opponents, and use its population as slave labor.

Now, other communities must follow in Berkeley's steps and enact similar measures to show companies such as Pepsico Inc. and Texaco that the United States will not support their investments in Burma.