I’m not convinced that the corner has been turned until all political prisoners are released and minorities are treated as citizens rather than not belonging and without equal rights. The US will be sending Secretary of State Hillary Clinton next month for official visit. UK mid-level official has just concluded an evaluation mission to determine if conditions are ripe for lifting sanctions. The ASEAN group of states has accepted that Myanmar will be recognized to chair the organization in 2014. Most visibly perhaps, former political prisoner and opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has just announced her and her parties intention to participate in next year’s election. Most recently, UNSG Ban Ki-moon has met Myanmar President, Thein Sein, and welcomed the ongoing political and economic reform efforts, “including the recent measures to advance national dialogue and reconciliation.” During the meeting, on the sidelines of the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Bali, Indonesia, Mr. Ban (Photo Above) also welcomed the response that the positive steps have generated from other stakeholders in Myanmar, including pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. My suspicions continue from two considerations: will Myanmar’s regime just give enough to share the photo op with the opposition but maintain substantive control – as some have tagged the China model. Continuing detention of political prisoners indicates a conditional rather than sincere embrace of dissent and opposition figures/organizations. (Read - diplomaticallyincorrect.org/films/blog_post/myanmar-political-prisoners-health-by-ambassador-mo/40817). The treatment of minorities perhaps will be even more indicative as Myanmar’s regime has practiced ethnic chauvinism as part of its strategy. Will the regime try to co-opt and thus compromise the opposition in this ethnic political strategy? READ - “TREATMENT of MINORITIES in MYANMAR” - diplomaticallyincorrect.org/films/blog_post/treatment-of-minorities-in-myanmar-runs-counter-to-promises-on-human-rights-democracy-by-ambassador-mo/28223 Also Read: “Rohingya ‘Ugly as Ogres’” - diplomaticallyincorrecttv.com/films/blog_post/the-most-endangered-minority-group-ugly-as-ogres-by-ambassador-mo/27298 Mr. Ban encouraged all parties in Myanmar to seize the historic opportunity to build on the latest measures through an inclusive and broad-based political process to strengthen national unity and set the reform process on an irreversible course to fulfill the promises made to the people of Myanmar. By Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey





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