UN chief urges Myanmar to respect human rights

Myanmar’s new leadership must overcome discrimination and promote inclusive development with “full respect” for human rights, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Monday on the eve of a visit to the country.

Myanmar’s new leadership must overcome discrimination and promote inclusive development with “full respect” for human rights, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Monday on the eve of a visit to the country.

Moon added, last November’s elections were won overwhelmingly by Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party, which opened the way to include various ethnic groups in Myanmar’s newfound democracy.

The recent setting up of an advisory panel on Myanmar’s troubled Rakhine state headed by former UN chief Kofi Annan is an “encouraging step”, Moon mentioned, speaking at an event in Singapore.

Annan will advise Myanmar’s new government on resolving conflicts in Rakhine, a region divided on religious grounds and home to the stateless Muslim Rohingya.