L.L. 1997/033

Enactment date: 5/30/1997

Int. No. 647-A

By Council Members Pinkett, Foster, the Speaker (Council Member Vallone), Duane, Fisher, Watkins, Powell IV, Pagan, Rivera, Robinson, Freed, Marshall, Eisland and Perez; also Council Members Harrison, Leffler, Sabini, DiBrienza, Fields, Cruz, Lasher and Linares

A Local Law to amend the New York City Charter in relation to the depositing of city funds in banks doing business in Burma, and to amend the administrative code of the City of New York in relation to city contracts with entities that do business in Burma

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Declaration of Legislative findings and intent. In 1990, after a free election in Burma in which Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won 80% of the Parliamentary seats, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) arrested, murdered and exiled such elected members of the NLD and annulled the election. Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest. Since then, thousands of civilians have been killed, arrested, tortured or forced out of Burma as a result of brutal government repression. The SLORC has conducted extensive military operations against ethnic groups within Burma. Additionally, the SLORC has refused to implement recommendations adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December, 1993 and the United Nations Human Rights Commission in March, 1994.

The United States has already imposed a ban on new U.S. investment in Burma, suspended all economic and military aid to Burma, imposed an arms embargo against the country, ended some low tariffs that had applied to its products and blocked the international Monetary Fund and the World Bank from making loans to Burma.

The system of oppression by the SLORC is illegal and contrary to international laws and covenants. It being morally repugnant to the citizens of the City of New York and the New York City Council, the City of New York as an expression of moral outrage at the SLORC' s continuing human rights violations in Burma does hereby set forth a municipal policy restricting its business with banks and companies doing business in Burma.

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[Consolidated provisions are not included in this Appendix A]

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§ 5. If any provision of this local law or application thereof is held invalid, the remainder of this local law and the application thereof to the· other persons or circumstances shall not be affected by such holding and shall remain in full force and effect.

§ 6. No bank shall be denied designation pursuant to section three of this local law because of any action taken prior to the effective date of this local law.

§ 7. This local law shall take effect forty-five days after its adoption and shall apply to contracts for which a request for bids or proposals is issued on and after the effective date.