MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippines' foreign secretary shrugged off Myanmar's rejection of international monitors for the junta-led country's first elections in 20 years, saying yesterday the polls were a farce anyway.
The polls, to be held sometime this year, have been sharply criticized as a means for the military to maintain its grip on power under a civilian guise.
The criticism from Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo was unusually blunt, coming from a fellow member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a grouping which typically avoids commenting on the internal affairs of its counterparts.
During a recent trip to Myanmar, American envoy Kurt Campbell said the run-up to the election so far leads the U.S. to believe the polls will “lack international legitimacy” and urged the regime to take immediate steps to open the process.
Source :http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/philippines/2010/05/14/256457/Philippines-secretary.htm
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