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Myanmar rebuffs Gambari's reform call
Sun, Mar 09, 2008 The Straits Times
YANGON - MYANMAR'S ruling junta has rejected calls for changes to its election plans, and accused visiting UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari of bias in favour of detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The country's official New Light of Myanmar newspaper yesterday printed more than three pages of blistering remarks by Information Minister Kyaw Hsan to Professor Gambari when they met last Friday. The meeting was part of the UN envoy's effort to encourage the regime to include the pro-democracy opposition in its plans to hold a constitutional referendum in May and multiparty elections in 2010. 'The Constitution has already been drafted and it should not be amended again,' said General Kyaw Hsan, some of whose comments were reported by state television late last Friday.

The party boycotted the talks in protest against her house arrest, where she has been kept for 12 of the last 18 years.

The minister also accused Prof Gambari of bias in favour of Ms Suu Kyi, blasting him for releasing a letter on behalf of the Nobel Peace Prize winner after his last visit here in November.

'We are very astonished and dismayed with your involvement in this matter,' he was quoted as saying. 'Sadly, you went beyond your mandate. Hence, the majority of people are criticising it as a biased act. Some even believe that you prepared the statement in advance and released it after coordinating with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

'The statement was dangerous to the degree of hurting the prevailing peace and stability of the nation,' he added.

He also said that if Prof Gambari tried to force Myanmar to meet Western calls for reform, 'we are concerned that your task of offering impartial advice may be undermined'.

The comments appeared to dash any hopes that the regime would make concessions in its election plan.

Prof Gambari arrived on Thursday, his third visit since the regime launched a deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protests last September, killing at least 31 people, according to the United Nations.

If held, the elections would be the first since Ms Suu Kyi led her NLD to a landslide victory in 1990 polls, a result never recognised by the regime.

The new Constitution would bar her from future elections because of her marriage to a foreigner. A new law governing the referendum also sharply limits her party's ability to campaign, criminalising public speeches and leaflets about the vote.

Western countries have decried Myanmar's vote plans for failing to include the NLD, which has warned that the public would not accept the junta's new charter, but has stopped short of calling for a boycott or urging a 'No' vote.

Yesterday, Prof Gambari met Ms Suu Kyi and senior NLD leaders. It was not disclosed what was discussed at his meeting with her but at the meeting earlier with members of her party, they told the UN envoy of their desire for an accelerated dialogue with the junta and the release of political prisoners.

Prof Gambari told the NLD executives that he would try his utmost to press their case, but also suggested that they should grab any opportunity offered by the junta, said an NLD official.

AFP, AP