United Nations Myanmar

A U.N. committee on Friday issued a resolution expressing great concern over Myanmar's "grave human rights situation." The resolution was adopted by consensus in the Third Committee, which considers human rights and social issues, despite objections by diplomats in Myanmar that it constitutes interference in internal affairs. The resolution also welcomes the award of the 1991 Nobel Peace Price to human rights champion Aung San Suu Kyi.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged a ministerial meeting of southeast Asian nations to take a tougher line with fellow member Myanmar in hopes that its military government will free political prisoners and hold fair elections. Ban said that it is in the best interest of the rest of the 10-member Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations to lean on Myanmar to free political prisoners, including democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The 64-year-old Nobel Peace laureate has been under detention for 14 of the last 20 years, since she led a pro-democracy uprising that was crushed by the government.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged a ministerial meeting of southeast Asian nations to take a tougher line with fellow member Myanmar in hopes that its military government will free political prisoners and hold fair elections. Ban said that it is in the best interest of the rest of the 10-member Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations to lean on Myanmar to free political prisoners, including democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The 64-year-old Nobel Peace laureate has been under detention for 14 of the last 20 years, since she led a pro-democracy uprising that was crushed by the government.

A U.N. committee on Friday issued a resolution expressing great concern over Myanmar's "grave human rights situation." The resolution was adopted by consensus in the Third Committee, which considers human rights and social issues, despite objections by diplomats in Myanmar that it constitutes interference in internal affairs. The resolution also welcomes the award of the 1991 Nobel Peace Price to human rights champion Aung San Suu Kyi.

The leading opposition party urged the ruling military junta to free political detainees, echoing a call by the U.N.'s envoy, who termed reports of new arrests "extremely disturbing." More arrests, interrogations and acts of intimidation "run counter to the spirit of mutual engagement between the United Nations and Myanmar," U.N. envoy Ibrahim Gambari said in Bangkok, Thailand. "These actions must stop at once," he said after meeting with Thailand's foreign minister.

As the military tightened its grip on Myanmar, the United Nations envoy met today with the junta's top generals to repeat international calls for restraint. Ibrahim Gambari, a former foreign minister from Nigeria's military in the mid-1980s, met Myanmar's senior junta leader, Gen. Than Shwe, in the country's new capital, Naypyidaw, about 200 miles north of Yangon. Details of the meeting were not immediately released. A U.N. statement earlier said Gambari "looks forward to meeting Senior Gen.