Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The UN secretary-general has offered a cautious welcome to pledges of reform by the Burmese government but has expressed his deep concern over the continued detention of political prisoners.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged the release of all political prisoners in Burma. Photo: AFP
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged the release of all political prisoners in Burma. Photo: AFPUnited Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report released on Wednesday that the continued detention of political prisoners, who are estimated to number 1,995 in the country, "remains of deepest concern" to the United Nations, according to Agence France-Presse.
Ban said the new nominally civilian government, elected in November 2010, and the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, gave the country a chance to “embark on the path of progress.”
In the report, dated August 5 but just released by the United Nations office in Rangoon, the UN chief said commitments from new President Thein Sein, a former general, to undertake political and economic reforms were positive.
But he called for “timely implementation,” stressing that Burma continued to suffer from “serious, deep-seated and long-standing” human rights, political and economic problems.
Ban voiced caution. “Whether the new government has the capacity, willingness and support to deliver on its reform agenda remains to be seen,” he said.
Of crucial concern are the prisoners of conscience still held in Burma’s prisons. “The detention of all remaining political prisoners will continue to overshadow and undermine any confidence in the government's efforts,” he said.
The UN chief said opposition leader Suu Kyi should be allowed to continue her activities.
Suu Kyi was released from seven years of house arrest days after the election, which Ban described as “flawed and controlled.” Her party, the National League for Democracy, boycotted the vote because of rules that appeared designed to exclude her.
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