by Salai Pi Pi
Wednesday, 08 July 2009 21:52
New Delhi (Mizzima) – One of India’s Left constituent party – the All India Forward Bloc - has expressed grave concern over the political deadlock in neighbouring Burma and called on the United Nations to mount pressure on the Burmese junta to free Aung San Suu Kyi and to implement democratic changes in the country.
G. Devarajan, Secretary, Central Committee of All India Forward Bloc on Wednesday said the UN should exert more pressure on the Burmese regime, which denied UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s request to meet the detained Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi during his two-day visit to Burma in the weekend.
“It is the responsibility of the UN to intervene and ensure democratic rights of people in Burma through diplomatic channels. The UN should ensure restoration of democracy in Burma,” Devarajan said.
Devarajan also said, by not allowing the visiting UN Chief to meet Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese military supremo Senior General Than Shwe has once again revealed the level of his commitment to bring change in the country.
“Once again, we can understand how much human rights violation and democratic rights violation are taking place in Myanmar [Burma],” Devarajan said.
“It is clear that the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi is neither free and fair nor transparent. It is also against international convention,” he added.
Ban, who wound up a two-day visit to Burma on Saturday, said he was ‘deeply disappointed’ as he was refused a meeting with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Prior to his visit, Ban had said that he would persuade the military rulers in Burma to release Aung San Suu Kyi, currently facing trial in Rangoon’s Insein prison, to resume the process of national reconciliation and to create a conducive environment for the election to be held in 2010.
While critics and observers are of the opinion that Ban’s mission to Burma was not fruitful as he could not meet Aung San Suu Kyi, Ban said his visit’s success should not be judged by his inability to meet Aung San Suu Kyi.
Though he was unable to meet the detained Nobel Peace Laureate, Ban said his visit was successful in conveying the concerns of the international community to the Burmese junta.
But Devarajan said, “Ban Ki-moon should report to the UN Security Council and General Assembly about the hypocritical attitude of the Burmese regime.”
He further contended that Ban should utilize all diplomatic channels to inform the whole world about the way the military junta behaves with international diplomats, suppresses human rights, and is conducting the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi and misinforming the world on what actually is happening in the country.
Similarly, Lenin Raghuvanshi, Director of the People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) in India’s state of Uttar Pradesh said, he is optimistic that the world body will come up with more effective pressure on the junta to release all political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi and implement political reforms in Burma.
“I am hopeful that the UN will mount more pressure to establish the rule of law, usher in democracy in Burma and have all political prisoners freed in Burma,” Raghuvashi, a recipient of the 2007 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights in South Korea, told Mizzima on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, India has maintained total silence over the goings on in Burma including the junta’s trial of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Ban Ki-moon’s trip.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Subscribe to email feed
