OPPOSITION LAUDS UN RESOLUTION

A senior Burmese opposition leader today cautiously welcomed the United Nation’s resolution condemning the junta for systematic human rights violations and lack of fundamental rights in the country.

Win Tin, member of Central Executive Committee of Aung San Suu Kyi’s party National League for Democracy (NLD) said he welcomed the resolution of the UN General Assembly on human rights in Burma. He called it UN’s ‘routine work’ but morally very important.

“It is a good sign for Burma. It shows that countries across the world had carefully considered the human rights situation in Burma and voted to adopt the resolution,” Win Tin told Mizzima on Monday.

However, Win Tin said just UN’s expression of grave concern over human rights abuses including the systematic use of rape as a weapon and the ongoing attacks against ethnic groups in eastern Burma by the junta is insufficient.

“The UN needs to do more to discuss the human rights issue in Burma in the UN Security Council,” Win Tin said.

The ongoing human rights violation in Burma can be stopped only if the UN body comes up with evidence and punishes those responsible including the Burmese military, he added.

On December 23, 2009, the 64th UNGA adopted a draft resolution II on the human rights situation in Burma, by a vote of 86 in favour to 23 against and 39 abstentions. It was included in the Third Committee report on human rights situations and reports of special rapporteurs and representatives.

The resolution also called on the Burmese regime to immediately release the detained Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners.

After the resolution was passed, the UN’s report released on Wednesday said Burmese representatives to the UN expressed their disappointment over the continuing adoption of UN resolutions dealing with the situation in Burma.

“Myanmar [Burma] had voted against the “highly politicized and country-specific resolution”, rejected it and would not be bound by it,” UN’s report quoted a Burmese delegate to the UN as saying.

“Myanmar believes that the exploitation of human rights for political purposes is unacceptable. Furthermore, it could not accept nor allow interference in its national political processes,” the Burmese delegate said.

The Burmese delegation also appreciated 23 countries such as Russia and Burma’s neighbours China, India, and Bangladesh, except Thailand, which abstained opposing the UN’s resolution on the ongoing human rights abuses committed by the military regime.

The regime is determined to hold elections in 2010 as part of its seven-step road map to so called disciplined democracy, after the new constitution was forcibly approved in 2008, which the opposition said will entrench and legitimize military rule in Burma.