SINGAPORE, July 3 — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has a rare meeting with Myanmar’s top general today where he will urge the secretive leader to free all political prisoners and ensure next year’s elections are credible.
Ban told reporters in Singapore he would ask Senior General Than Shwe when they meet in the country’s new capital, Naypyidaw, to allow to him to see opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose widely criticised trial is expected to resume today — the first day of Ban’s two-day visit.
The stakes are high for Ban and the risk of failure great.
Halfway through a five-year term at the helm of the United Nations, Ban has faced a wave of criticism recently from detractors who say his low-key approach to the job does not work. He is eager to prove them wrong, UN diplomats say.
Ban made clear that he was under no illusions about how difficult it will be to persuade the military junta in the former Burma to free prisoners and take concrete steps towards democracy ahead of next year’s multi-party elections.
“I’m visiting Myanmar with certain uncertainties,” he said.
“We must try our best to bring changes. I’ll do my best (but) I do not believe my visit should be a make-or-break event... This will be a very difficult mission.”
He said he would also press Than Shwe and Prime Minister Thein Sein to engage in “meaningful and credible dialogue” with Suu Kyi and the opposition.
Ban said he would meet with representatives of “registered political parties” in Naypyidaw, including Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy. However, Suu Kyi herself will not be at that meeting.
It was not yet clear if he would be able to meet with Suu Kyi, who has spent 14 of the past 19 years in detention, mostly under house arrest at her lakeside home in Yangon. It will be up to Than Shwe whether Ban can see her.
SUU KYI ON TRIAL
The Nobel laureate, 64, was charged with violating the terms of her house arrest last month by allowing an American intruder to stay at her home, which prosecutors say breached a security law designed to thwart “subversive elements”.
However, critics say the charges are trumped up and the trial is an attempt to keep Suu Kyi out of multi-party elections next year, which are expected to entrench nearly half a century of army rule.
Human rights groups are watching Ban’s moves closely. According to several UN diplomats, one influential group, New York-based Human Rights Watch, advised Ban not to accept the junta’s invitation for a July 3-4 visit, warning him that it could be used for propaganda purposes.
But Ban, the diplomats said, decided to go anyway, hoping his presence and knack for closed-door, quiet diplomacy would persuade the generals to compromise, as they did last May when Ban convinced them to lift restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid to victims of Cyclone Nargis.
Analysts say Ban may have been given some indication by the generals, or by UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari after his trip last week, that his visit can bring some kind of positive result.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement saying that Ban “should not accept the return of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to house arrest or vague statements about political reform as signs of a successful visit.”
“If no commitments for reform are made, Ban should clearly and publicly state that a process that mocks the very idea of fundamental freedoms and democracy will have no legitimacy,” HRW director Kenneth Roth said. — Reuters
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Junta is just giving the excuse that they would rigidly follow their Seven-step road map towards 2010 elections. The military junta thought that they would be able to avoid prosecution by the UN, for their heinous actions thanks to their veto wielding friends in UNSC.
Ban Ki-moon should not follow Ibrahim Gambari’s method of using velvet kid gloved hands to persuade but later just obediently following all the itineraries dictated by the Junta. UN is actually diplomatically hiding its failures in Myanmar policy to get a meaningful progress. He cannot hope to achieve a breakthrough if he just uses the soft diplomatic approach like before.
He should not consider advocating or supporting the military dictators’ sham 2010 elections. He must give ultimatum to the Burmese military regime to seriously make immediate changes called for by the United Nations Security Council.
He should order the Burmese military junta to immediately stop the continuing crackdown on dissidents, in defiance of the international community and the UNSC. We, the Burmese people are counting on the United Nations and UNSG Ban Ki-moon to take the required action to achieve the breakthrough we desperately needed to both restore democracy to our country and address the serious humanitarian and human rights challenges that we face.
In order to get the results UNSG not only need to give ultimatum to the Junta but also to all the oppositions parties including NLD, Ethnic Minorities to sacrifice and to offer for a give and take to get a compromised solution acceptable to all the interested parties.
UNSG must not only convince but to guarantee the safety of the Junta Generals, families and friends.
UNSG must clearly laid down the post-conflict UN supervised Interim Government plan, peace-building process, Reconciliatory process, Rebuilding of the country with the aid of World Bank, Asian Development Bank and by the special aids and development programs from USA, EU, Japan, ASEAN, and other interested parties.
UN and the international community must show their interest and promises of all the support; political, technical know-how and financial assistance so that new Myanmar Interim Government could quickly implement and follow through on peace agreements once they are reached or signed.
Like all the dictators around the world, Burma’s Military Dictators have3 the legitimate fear of Purgatory or revenge punishments by the people, opposition or allegedly wronged persons. If there is no guarantee for the generals, military personals and the promise of relinquishing of all the embargo, trade restrictions and development program for economic recovery and socio-political progress and the safety and stability of the country after peace agreement is achieved UNSG could not succeed in persuading both sides to compromised deal.
UN has the experiences of establishing the new Interim Governments in Cambodia, Yugoslavia, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea etc. China and Vietnam’s liberation or opening of economy to the West leads successfully to the economic development and progress could persuade the Junta to open up its policy.
UNSG Ban needs to inform the Myanmar SPDC that if they could not agree to a compromise, he is going to push international community to start the lobby for a trial of these SPDC leaders, cohorts and supporters at the ICC.
UNSG Ban must firmly warn the Junta that UNSC is going to refer the SPDC Junta’s attempted Genocide, Crimes against Humanity and Ethnic Cleansing. He must remind the Junta that if the International Warrants of Arrest for the SPDC Generals, their mobility would be restricted and they may even scared of venturing into the International Air space on the way to their friendly countries.
UNSG should use tough diplomatic terms that only if the SPDC Junta refuses the demands of UN, US, EU and Burmese opposition, they would be dealt with the ICC. But if they give in and immediately release Daw Suu and all the political prisoners; start a reconciliatory process and allow Daw Suu led NLD and opposition to form an Interim Government with the Military leaders, UN, US, EU and all the opposition should guarantee the safety of Myanmar Tatmadaw and SPDC Generals.