The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) expects a credible and transparent election in Burma in 2010, but it can not interfere in the details of the election, Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said on Wednesday.
In an interview on the BBC's “Hardtalk” program, Surin said, “No election is perfect. It has to begin. That's why they [the Burmese regime] are beginning. They promise [to hold elections] at the end of this year. We are…trying to make sure that our expectations are fulfilled. That it's going to be credible, transparent.”
Asked about Asean's role in Burma, Surin said that members of the 10-state regional grouping had encouraged the Burmese authorities to conduct a credible election. However, the world expects the regime to do more to achieve national reconciliation, he said.
“We can not impose every step [on them],” he said. “We can not interfere with details.”
He said that the Burmese election will not be at the international level that many people would like to see, because of the military-ruled country's recent history.
“This is a different country,” he said. “They [the military junta] have a different background.” But the fact that “they are committed to the election” is positive, he said.
He said that Asean has communicated with the Burmese regime very openly in lobbying for political change and national reconciliation. Burma became a member of Asean in 1997.
Asked about the role of jailed political activists and opposition groups, Surin said he understood that the National League for Democracy has not decided yet on whether to participate in the election or not.
Asked about Thailand's policies on Burmese refugees, Surin, who is a former Thai foreign minister, said that Thailand needs time to handle the Burmese refugee problem. Thailand is home to about 140,000 Burmese refugees.
“We have problems, and we are dealing with the problem in our own way. It may not be perfect. It may not be satisfactory. It will take time to solve the problem,” Surin said.
Thailand has been widely criticized by rights groups and the international community for its plan to deport about 3,000 Karen refugees by force to Karen State in Burma, after they fled from that area in June 2009 due to war.
Refugees on the Thailand-Burma border say they do not want to return home for fear of more fighting, landmines and conscription as forced labor by the Burmese army. Their fate remains uncertain, and they could be deported at any time, according to rights groups.Source :http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=17883
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