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ASEAN urges Myanmar to make 'national reconciliation' more inclusive+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) HUA HIN, Thailand, March 1_(Kyodo) _ Southeast Asian leaders encouraged Myanmar's military government Sunday to release political detainees and let the opposition participate in the political process ahead of general elections slated for next year. "We encouraged the Myanmar Government to facilitate the national reconciliation process to be more inclusive so as to strengthen national unity, thereby contributing to peace and prosperity in Myanmar," the leaders said in a statement released at the end of a two-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. "The release of political detainees and the inclusion of all political parties in the political process leading to the general elections in 2010 will contribute significantly to the national reconciliation process," they said. The junta was also urged by ASEAN leaders to engage in active cooperation with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon's special envoy Ibrahim Gambari as well as with Thomas Ojea Quintana, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, in order to address the international community's concerns about the situation there. Earlier in the day, Myanmar's Prime Minister Thein Sein had briefed other ASEAN leaders on recent political developments in his country and progress the junta has made in implementing what it calls its seven-step road map to democracy, according to ASEAN diplomats. The premier pointed out the junta's recent release of over 6,000 prisoners, including some political prisoners, as part of a government amnesty. Hundreds and possibly thousands remain in detention for political reasons, however, including pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent more than 12 years under house arrest. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won the last general election in 1990 by a landslide but was blocked by the junta from taking power. Myanmar has been under military rule, in various forms, since 1962. While multiparty general elections are set for next year, the opposition forces led by Suu Kyi's NLD say the new pro-junta constitution approved by a referendum last year is unacceptable and are demanding a review. Western countries and ASEAN ones too have long been pressing for tangible democratic reforms in Myanmar, which has been a constant source of embarrassment for the organization since it joined in 1997 amid misgivings by some member governments. Western persuasive techniques such as diplomatic isolation, sanctions and megaphone diplomacy failed to budge the country's leaders, as has ASEAN's policy of constructive engagement. The United States, European Union and Australia have lambasted the junta for repeatedly giving empty promises on restoring democracy in the country and improving its human rights record. ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Copyright ? 2009 Kyodo News International, Inc. |