UNITED NATIONS (AP) – Foreign ministers from key nations are telling Myanmar’s military junta that the release of political prisoners including detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is “essential” for upcoming elections to be seen as credible.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said after a closed-door meeting Monday that the ministers reiterated the need for the election process “to be more inclusive, participatory and transparent.”

The Nov. 7 elections will be Myanmar’s first in two decades but critics say the polls are designed to cement nearly 50 years of military rule.

Suu Kyi’s disbanded National League for Democracy party marked what would be its 22nd anniversary Monday under tight surveillance. It was dissolved earlier this year, after deciding to boycott the election.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) – Myanmar failed to answer international pleas to release detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, telling other nations Tuesday that it is striving to ensure its first elections in two decades are “free and fair.”

Foreign Minister U Nyan Win spoke one day after foreign ministers from key nations warned Myanmar’s military junta that the release of Suu Kyi and other political prisoners is “essential” for Nov. 7 elections to be seen as credible. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate, has been jailed or under house arrest for 15 of the past 21 years.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said after a closed-door meeting Monday night that the ministers reiterated the need for the election process “to be more inclusive, participatory and transparent.” There was no representative from Myanmar at the Monday gathering and no immediate response from the government.

Speaking on Tuesday, Win did not mention the foreign ministers meeting or the international demand for the release of political prisoners before the ballot.

“Myanmar is confident in its ability to conduct the elections in an orderly manner,” he said. “Whatever the challenges facing us, we are committed to do our best for the successful holding of the free and fair general elections for the best interest of the country and its people.”

Government critics have called the upcoming elections a sham designed to cement nearly 50 years of military rule.

Ban said the ministers stressed that the release of Suu Kyi and the other prisoners is “essential for the election to be seen as credible and to contribute to Myanmar’s stability and development.”

Ban met with senior officials from Myanmar during the current ministerial session and said he would “continue my dialogue” in Hanoi at the upcoming summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known as ASEAN.

The so-called Friends of Myanmar group that met Monday includes about 15 countries, including Myanmar’s neighbors, interested Asian and European nations, and the five permanent U.N. Security Council members: the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France.

Suu Kyi co-founded the now-disbanded National League for Democracy party amid massive pro-democracy protests in August 1988 and officially registered it on Sept. 27, 1988, after the demonstrations were violently suppressed by the junta.

The party won 1990 elections by a landslide, but the results were not recognized by the military, which took power in 1962 when the country was known as Burma.

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – Myanmar’s looming election will not be credible unless the military rulers release Nobel prize-winning opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a UN ministerial group has said.

The group — which included ministers from neighbors China and India, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia as well as Britain and the United States — “clearly reiterated the need for the election process to more inclusive, participatory and transparent,” UN chief Ban Ki-moon said after the meeting.

“Members called for steps to be taken for the release of political detainees including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

“This is essential for the election to be seen as credible and to contribute to Myanmar’s stability and development,” Ban told reporters after the meeting of the Friends On Myanmar group.

No Myanmar government representative was at the meeting, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Ban met Myanmar’s foreign minister, U Nyan Win, at the UN headquarters on Sunday though.

“I conveyed my strong wish and expectation that this election should be conducted in a fair, transparent and inclusive manner,” Ban said of his meeting with the minister. He also pressed for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent most of the past two decades under house arrest.

Myanmar has banned her National League for Democracy and nine other opposition parties from taking part in the November 7 election, Myanmar’s first in two decades. The opposition has said the vote will be a sham.

The junta has said however that Aung San Suu Kyi will be allowed to vote.

Ban said the runup to the election will be “critical” and that the ministerial group called on Myanmar to take “a more constructive and forward-looking approach” with the international community.

He added that the ministers, from countries with widely varying attitudes to Myanmar, “reiterated their commitment to work together to help Myanmar address its political, humanitarian and development challenges, in parallel and with equal attention.

“The group also reaffirmed unity of purpose and action to encourage Myanmar to make further efforts towards national reconciliation and democracy.”

The United States and European Union have sanctions against Myanmar. But China has shielded Myanmar from UN sanctions while India hosted Myanmar junta leader Than Shwe on a state visit in July.

“At this critical stage in Myanmar?s transition, it is all the more important that the group, and especially Myanmar?s neighbors, encourages Myanmar to engage meaningfully with my good offices,” Ban said.

The UN chief has expressed mounting frustration with the Myanmar junta in recent months. The government has even refused a visit by his chief of staff, Vijay Nambiar.

“We have been trying to visit, somehow this year. It has not been possible. I expressed my regret about that fact,” Ban told reporters.

The secretary general has also urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes Myanmar, to take a tougher line on the junta over the elections.

He warned ASEAN leaders on Friday that if the election was not seen as credible it “could reflect on ASEAN?s collective values and principles.”

Ban said he would again press ASEAN and Myanmar at the regional group’s summit in Hanoi next month. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will also be there.

A UN rights envoy has called for an investigation into whether the junta’s treatment of opponents represents torture that could lead to a crimes against humanity case.

Ban said that any action would have to be decided by UN members.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s party won a landslide victory in the last election in 1990 but the junta never allowed her to take office.

Burma’s upcoming elections will not be credible without the release of political prisoners, including democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said.

Mr Ban was speaking after a ministerial meeting in New York of the so-called “Group of Friends” of Burma.

He said the group had called for a “more inclusive” poll on 7 November.

Ms Suu Kyi’s party won Burma’s last election in 1990 but was never allowed to take power by the ruling junta.

The November poll is part of the junta’s long-announced “roadmap to democracy”, but critics have dismissed it as a sham designed to keep the military in power.
‘Stability and development’

Mr Ban said after Monday’s meeting behind the closed doors that the ministers had reiterated the need for the election process to be “more inclusive, participatory and transparent”.

“Members called for steps to be taken for the release of political detainees, including Aung San Suu Kyi.

“This is essential for the election to be seen as credible and contribute to Myanmar’s stability and development,” the UN chief said.

Burma – whose representatives did not attend the meeting – has not publicly responded to Mr Ban’s comments.

Ms Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) was forcibly disbanded in May, under the new election laws.

Ms Suu Kyi has spent most of the last two decades in some form of detention and is currently under house arrest in Rangoon.

The “Group of Friends” of Burma includes Australia, the UK, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Norway, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the US, Vietnam and the EU.

Eighteen Burmese refugees have arrived in Japan from Thailand, marking a new turn in Japan’s asylum policy.

It follows Japan’s agreement to accept about 90 Burmese under a third country resettlement plan promoted by the UN.

The three ethnic minority Karen families have been living for 10 years in a camp in north-western Thailand after fleeing persecution in Burma.

Japan has been criticised in the past for allowing in far fewer refugees than other wealthy nations.

The BBC’s Roland Buerk in Tokyo says the refugees arrived at Tokyo’s Narita airport wearing jackets against the autumn chill.

Japan says it is the first Asian country to take part in the UN-backed resettlement programme.

Japan is one of the world’s most generous donors to refugees overseas, but gives scant welcome to asylum seekers at home, our correspondent says.

Last year just 30 people were granted refugee status. Another 501 received special residence permits on humanitarian grounds, but with fewer rights.

The Burmese refugees are expected to spend the next six months in Tokyo learning Japanese.

The government says if they integrate well into society it may consider allowing more refugees into the country.

TOKYO — The first of 90 refugees from military-run Myanmar arrived in Japan on Tuesday as part of a three-year U.N. resettlement program, bucking Tokyo’s traditional reluctance to take asylum seekers.

Eighteen ethnic Karen — three married couples and their 12 children aged one to 15 — will be given apartments in the Japanese capital and take a six-month orientation program, with lessons on language and culture and vocational training and support in finding a job.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees hopes “Japan will set an example for other Asian countries to follow,” its spokesman Andrej Mahecic told reporters in Geneva.

The refugees are among almost 100,000 Karen staying in camps in Thailand after fleeing military repression and fighting between Karen guerrillas and the Myanmar military over the past three decades.

Japan’s Cabinet in 2008 announced a plan to accept 90 Myanmar refugees. Officials have indicated a possibility to consider widening the scope of the program if the first group resettles smoothly.

“We are determined to provide ample support for the Myanmar refugees who come to live in Japan,” Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara told reporters Tuesday. “There would be a trial and failure process, but we will always try to listen to them and help.”

Although Japan in UNHCR’s second biggest donor after the United States, it has long been reluctant to take in refugees.

In 2009, Japan accepted just 30 refugees, including 18 Myanmar nationals, while granting special permit to 501 others to stay for humanitarian considerations, according to Justice Ministry data. But even that figure was much more than previous years, amid signs it is opening up more to immigrants amid concerns over its own aging population and shrinking work force.

More than 11,000 “boat people” from Vietnam and neighbouring countries arrived in Japan between the late 1970s and 2005, but most of them went on to settle in the U.S. and other countries.

Bangkok, Thailand – Military-ruled Burma (Myanmar) has said the country’s most famous dissident will be allowed to vote in November elections, the first since an annulled 1990 ballot.

But Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent most of the subsequent years in detention, will not be allowed out of house arrest to cast her ballot, to the dismay of her supporters and Western governments that have pressed for her release.

Ms. Suu Kyi’s name is on an electoral roll in Rangoon, where she is confined to her lakeside house. An election official last week told the popular Myanmar Times that she could cast an advance postal vote (see report).

Given that Suu Kyi’s popular National League for Democracy, which won the 1990 vote, is boycotting the election, the move appears to be a token gesture. The United States government dismissed the news and repeated its longstanding call for the release of all political prisoners in Burma.

“We don’t believe those elections can be free or fair, and we continue to urge the Burmese authorities to begin a genuine political dialogue with the democratic opposition,” US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said during a press briefing Sept. 24.

One among 2,100 political prisonersA larger question hangs over the status of Suu Kyi in mid-November when her current 18-month detention period ends. Some observers predict that she could be released after the Nov. 7 election, in part as a sop to US diplomatic efforts to engage Burma. By this way of thinking, her release would signal the junta’s confidence over a transition to a new, semi-civilian government.

It’s unclear whether Suu Kyi would accept restrictions on her release, such as a travel ban. In the past, she has said that all of Burma’s estimated 2,100 political prisoners should be released at the same time.

Her release would be a relief for US allies in Asia that have joined calls for Suu Kyi’s freedom while trying to work quietly with Burma to ease its isolation. Many diplomats in the region argue that Western pressure and economic sanctions have been largely counterproductive.

Ally China values stabilityOf far greater concern to China, say analysts, is how Burma handles tensions along their shared border where ethnic rebel groups are on alert. Burma’s junta has sought to put these groups under its military command, but most have refused. Last August, Burmese troops overran one rebel-held area, forcing thousands of refugees to flee into China and raising hackles in Beijing, a key ally for Burma.

“While the West would like Myanmar’s elections to lead to democracy, China would regard success as being defined as stability. A good transition is one that doesn’t rock the boat,” says Jim Della-Giacoma, Southeast Asia director in Jakarta for the International Crisis Group.

Earlier this month, Burmese state media announced that balloting would not take place in about 300 communities in rebel-run areas. Some ethnic leaders in these areas had already opposed the poll as illegitimate. But others had sought to field candidates and were blocked from registration.

Analysts say the mass disenfranchisement of these voters would hobble regional parliaments and could lead to post-election violence if the military seeks to impose its writ.

Burma’s foreign minister on Tuesday rejected international criticism of the country’s election insisting that the junta is committed to a “free and fair” vote.

The minister, U Nyan Win, said the election in Burma on November 7, which the opposition has said would be a sham, was “a critical phase of its political transformation process.”

He told the UN General Assembly that more than 3,000 candidates from 37 parties would take part in the vote for 1,171 parliamentary seats.

“Such a large participation made it crystal clear that the elections become virtually inclusive,” the minister said.

U Nyan Win made no mention of detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, nor UN and international demands that she be freed for the vote.

“The people will exercise their democratic right to elect the representatives of their own choice who can serve their interest better,” the minister said.

“With its ample experiences and lessons learned in holding multiparty general elections in the past history, Burma is confident in its ability to conduct the elections in an orderly manner.

“Whatever the challenges facing us, we are committed to do our best for the successful holding of the free and fair general elections for the best interest of the country and its people.”

A UN ministerial group said Monday that the election will not be credible unless the military rulers release Aung San Suu Kyi and other opposition detainees.

The group _ which included ministers from neighbors China and India, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia as well as Britain and the United States _ “clearly reiterated the need for the election process to more inclusive, participatory and transparent,” UN chief Ban Ki-moon said.

“Members called for steps to be taken for the release of political detainees including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,” he added.

Gandhi once said, “An ounce of practice is worth more than a ton of preaching.” But in the decades since Gandhi and in an environment premised on India’s towering pursuits of economic development and regional security, I am beginning to wonder if India is doing more preaching than practice when it comes to promoting democracy and freedom – the very things that it fought so hard to win over from the British Raj.

India has traditionally been a key ally for Myanmar’s (Burma) democratic opposition, most prominent is sure to be none other than Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has remained under detention or house arrest for the last 15 of 21 years. India has long provided safe haven for fleeing pro-democracy Burmese activists and has bestowed Suu Kyi with India’s highest civilian honors.

However, in the last two decades Indian foreign policy vis-à-vis Myanmar has made an about-face from its former ‘principled’ approach, and reached an unprecedented threshold when Myanmar head of State, Senior General Than Shwe, visited India for five days in July. The visit ushered in a new strategic partnership between the two neighbors as part of India’s “Look East” policy aimed to enlarge India’s presence in the region and to keep China’s growing presence at bay.

But it wasn’t the panoply of high-level and expensive agreements that were reached, nor was it the fact that none of these agreements were contingent upon Myanmar’s willingness to release Aung San Suu Kyi or the 2,200 other political prisoners, or any push to ensure free and fair elections in Myanmar later this year – the first in 20 years. What was shocking to me was that India allowed Than Shwe to pay homage to the burial site of Gandhi.

It was entirely unpalatable to me that India could allow one of the world’s most flagrant violators of human rights to stain the legacy of a man who led masses to peacefully overthrow a repressive colonial overlord not entirely different from that of the present-day Myanmar, or to symbolically forsake its support for Aung San Suu Kyi, herself a sort of “Burmese version” of Gandhi in her own right.

Of course matters of national interest will take front and center at certain junctures in any country, but when governments are willing shed their most quintessential creeds and replace them for short-term gains it should stir the collective consciousness of an entire people. For instance, when the Americans debated passionately over what constituted a just interrogation policy in the “War on Terror”, U.S. Senator John McCain staunchly opposed the use of torture claiming that it disgraced the U.S. Constitution and very essence of what America stands for, arguing, “this is not about who they are [alleged terrorists], but who we are”. In the short period of time that America did forsake these values, America learned that sacrificing the very creeds that became its genesis comes at a high cost and something that has taken precious time and resources to mitigate for. India is currently on a similar trajectory of repeating this very mistake and leaves us to wonder just how much India will give up of itself to court men like Than Shwe – a virtually unsustainable effort if it seeks to gain full ascendance as a democratic, global power.

As India pioneers forward in its quest for expanding frontiers, this is an opportune time for Indians to carefully ponder over who they are and what they are about, lest they find themselves on the wrong side of history. After all, the natural state of humankind decisively levitates towards freedom. The only thing that stands between the people of Myanmar’s quest for freedom and its actualization is merely time, and Indians of all people should know that.

Anil Raj in the Myanmar (Burma) Country Specialist for Amnesty International USA. He’s also a member of the Board of Directors for the organization.

Vientiane, Laos – Myanmar’s junta chief Senior General Than Shwe is to pay a state visit to Laos later this week, state media reported Tuesday.

Than Shwe’s visit from Friday to Sunday is to deepen bilateral relations and cooperation, the state-run Vientiane Times newspaper reported.

Lao President Choummaly Sayasone invited Than Shwe, his wife Daw Kyaing Kyain and a high-level delegation to visit, the newspaper reported.

Myanmar’s state-run newspaper the New Light of Myanmar on Tuesday also reported the scheduled visit.

The South-East Asian neighbours share a common border along the Mekong River.

Burma (MNN) ? The momentum behind a push to investigate Burma’s (also known as Myanmar) crimes against humanity is growing.

Ten governments are now calling for the United Nations to set up a commission of inquiry over the junta regime’s alleged use of rape as a weapon of war, forced recruitment of child soldiers, forced labor, torture and more.

As more on these allegations came to light, Canada, France, the Netherlands and New Zealand added their support since the United States backed the move in August. They join Australia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and the United Kingdom.

Mission agencies working in the country say there’s an open campaign targeting the Arakan, Chin and the Karen, many of whom are Christians. Vision Beyond Borders’ Wes Flint said in an earlier interview, “The Burmese army is not bashful about it: their goal is to exterminate the Karen people, to wipe them off the face of the earth.”

The cost of ignoring the crisis is too high. Greg Musselman, a spokesman for Voice of the Martyrs Canada, agrees. “Christians are seen as being opposed to the government. You also mix in the state religion Buddhism, and then the Christians are targeted politically and also for religious purposes.”

Without someone to stand for them, there is no possibility of justice. Will Burma cooperate because of the national elections next month, or will change simply be a façade? These are legitimate concerns. “Sometimes they’re trying to appease those that are looking in. They’re also saying, ‘How is this information leaking out?’ It may make it even more difficult for the Christians there that are trying to go about their work as believers.”

However, there’s a side effect of the oppression that the regime may not be considering. On the one hand, Musselman says, “You have some that would be interested in Christianity and exploring what the Gospel teaches, but they see the persecution and so they’re thinking, ‘No, I don’t know if I really want to go there.’” On the other hand, “You’ve got others that are seeing the persecution of Christians and asking, ‘Why are they persecuting them? Why are they so harsh against these people that are followers of Christ?’”

The hope of Christ is what sustains many believers. Curiosity grows, and the interest often prompts questions about the Gospel. It’s crucial that the persecuted believers be ready with an answer. “We need to pray for our brothers and sisters to be strong in the midst of persecution. There’s murder, there’s rape, there’s intimidation, homes being burned down, businesses being destroyed.”

Pray for ministry opportunities for Christians to share their faith with others. Pray that more Buddhists will see their need for a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Click here to find ways you can help.

CNPC has officially kicked off the construction of the China Section of the Myanmar-China oil and gas pipelines and a large new refinery in Southwest China. This represents a key link and a milestone of China’s global energy strategy in securing its long term oil supply.

Analysis

CNPC has officially kicked off the construction of the China Section of the Myanmar-China oil and gas pipelines and a large new refinery at An’ning of Yunnan Province in Southwest China, after starting building the Myanmar Section of the pipelines in June 2010, and associated port and storage facilities in the West Coast of Myanmar earlier since late 2009.

The oil pipeline is scheduled into operation in 2013, carrying 440,000 barrels per day crude oil detouring the Malacca Straights. This represents a key link and a milestone of China’s global energy strategy in securing its long term oil supply. China’s oil import dependence has run over 55 percent, and it purchases three quarters of its total crude oil import from the Middle East and Africa, majority of which is carried through the sea route via the Malacca Straights. The trend is expected to continue developing. The current project construction is believed the first phase of a strategic plan. The oil pipeline capacity would be further expanded to accommodate more crude oil shipment from the Middele East and Africa, if the the phase one project proves to run successfully making great contribution to secure the country’s oil supply.

In combination with the pipeline construction, CNPC is also going to build a new 200,000 barrels per day refinery and oil product distribution network in Yunnan Province. Together with CNPC’s three other new refineries in Guangxi, Sichuan and Chongqing, these projects will play significant roles in balancing regional oil supply pattern in China, and strengthening CNPC’s competitive position in the Southwest Region.

Analyses are solely the work of the authors and have not been edited or endorsed by GLG.
Contributed by a Member of the GLG Energy & Industrials Councils

Reporters from Radio Free Asia’s Vietnamese and Myanmar services have been awarded gold and bronze medals respectively at this year’s New York Festivals.

Both winning entries produced pieces exploring the issue of human trafficking in Asia. Additionally, broadcasters from RFA’s Mandarin and Korean services were named as finalists by the competition’s judges.

“The honors bestowed on Radio Free Asia at New York Festivals showcase the journalistic excellence for which our news services consistently strive to achieve in some of the world’s toughest media environments,” Libby Liu, President of RFA said Monday. “Two of our winners reported on the trafficking of women and migrants in Asia, and we hope this recognition underscores the need to continue informing our audience and the world about this prevalent and nefarious issue.”

“We at RFA pledge to continue bringing accurate, objective news to people living in Asian countries that restrict and censor the press.”

Broadcaster Khanh An of RFA’s Vietnamese service earned the top award in the category of Best Ongoing News Story for her three-part series “A New Form of Women Trafficking.” The series, which aired in March 2010, documented an incident of a Vietnamese woman being trafficked to Europe. The series examined some of the local factors and people and their roles in facilitating the woman’s victimization.

RFA Myanmar (Burma) reporter Kyaw Min Htun won a bronze award in the category of Best Coverage of Ongoing News Story for his stories on the human trafficking of Mynamar (Burmese) refugees and migrants in Malaysia, which aired from January to May of this year. For his stories, the reporter interviewed ethnic Rohingya migrants, seeking asylum in Malaysia after being subjected to persecution in Myanmar. Many, however, once in Malaysia, faced exploitation by human-traffickers, abusive employers, and corrupt officials.

Park Songwu of RFA’s Korean language service, was a finalist in the NYF category of Best Human Interest Story for his four-part series on North Korea’s youngest defectors. The series focused on the difficulties and challenges these individuals face once living in South Korea.

RFA Mandarin’s Tang Qiwei was also a finalist in the NYF History category for her piece on the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests, which aired on June 4, 2009. The short audio documentary, which was edited by Feng Xiaoming, used interviews with many leaders, activists, and officials involved with or connected to the Beijing student-led demonstrations.

THE MILITARY regime of Myanmar sees the upcoming elections as signalling the achievement of political strength: an essential prong of their notion of a secure nation. While the move towards a representative electoral system is a positive development, there remain many significant hurdles to consolidating a democratic system and ensuring civilian protection in Myanmar.

How have people in Myanmar responded? As the international community has noted, the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) has decided not to participate in the elections. However, even though the NLD did not register as a political party, some members chose to go it alone and establish their own political parties within the framework of the new electoral laws, most notably the National Democratic Force. As a result of this and the registering of thirty-seven political parties, it remains unclear how people in Myanmar will respond to these polls.

Internal Dynamics

Under the 2008 constitution, these forthcoming elections will elect three quarters of the national parliament, with the remaining one quarter of seats reserved for military officials. In addition to the national parliament, elections are also scheduled for the fourteen regional/state parliaments as well.

Even though many procedural questions remain, such as how much say individual MPs will have, the social and ethnic groups are responding differently to the upcoming elections. The ethnic nationalities are undecided about whether they should participate. Many of them voiced grievances that their compromises with the military government in the past have not been reciprocated. Within the ethnic nationalities there are many sub-groups often with clashing interests. Many of these sub-groups have organised community-led efforts which have given rise to registered political parties, such as the Kayan National Party and the Kayin People’s Party.

It is significant that these efforts are community-led rather than representing the ceasefire groups because it could give rise to new personalities. These ceasefire groups are the ethnic nationalities’ armed groups, such as the Kachin Independence Army, which have reached shaky peace agreements with the military. The military regime has stipulated that for ceasefire groups to participate in the elections they must be under the command of the Tatmadaw (armed forces) – a point which continues to be in dispute – thus ruling out the formal participation of most ceasefire groups.

Along with these community-led efforts is a need to further improve coordination and collaboration between the various ethnic nationalities if they decide and are able to fully participate in these elections. Indeed, while the preparations are underway for the elections, there continues to be instability in the border regions which in turn pose significant human security concerns for people on the ground. As a result of this instability, voting in certain ethnic nationalities’ areas has been ruled out.

Political Participation
While there are clear costs and benefits to the participation of the ethnic nationalities in the elections, power is heavily weighted in favour of the national government. Indeed the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) has transformed itself into a political party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), that will contest all seats in the national elections.

Across Myanmar there are also different social groups which will question whether or not to vote in the upcoming elections. There are significant differences between the urban-educated and rural populations. However, as political parties need to raise their own funds domestically, they will have to rely on the support of various business, community-led and government groups for financial backing — which amounts to a significant challenge.

While the ability of political parties to field candidates is constrained by the US$500 deposit for each candidate to be on the ballot paper, there are also several emerging campaign issues. These issues include post-election economic and development opportunities and much needed reform; the removal of domestic travel barriers; equal employment opportunities in the public service; language education in the ethnic nationalities’ areas; personal security; and access to water, food, shelter and electricity.

International Reaction

What do Myanmar’s neighbours and the United States have to say about the elections? Myanmar’s ASEAN partners have expressed qualified support for the elections. Several of the heads of state and foreign ministers who met at the 16th annual ASEAN Summit on 8-9 April 2010, and the subsequent 43rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting on 19-20 July, called on the Myanmar regime to hold free, fair and all-inclusive elections. However, ASEAN shied away from any concrete action to assist the regime with the elections but an ASEAN observer role in the polls has been mooted. ASEAN members prefer to keep the association’s focus on being a platform for engagement and support but only when asked by individual member states.

The US has, however, expressed disappointment with the election setup. Kurt Campbell, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific affairs, warned that without tangible progress the US would review its current level of engagement with the Myanmar regime. However, the other major players, China and India, have been more encouraging in responding to the announced elections.

Many in the region see the forthcoming elections in Myanmar as a fresh starting point. However this recognition is qualified. The greatest challenges for Myanmar lie ahead in forming a civilian government that is representative of the population and responsive to the needs of the people and the issues that matter to them. This will be no easy feat for a military regime even though most of its leading members have doffed their uniforms for civilian dress to become politicians.

Alistair D. B. Cook is Post Doctoral Fellow at the Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University where he is Programme Lead for its Internal and Cross Border Conflict Programme.