White House: US to support UN inquiry in Myanmar

[babylonsister]

White House: US to support UN inquiry in Myanmar


WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration has decided to support the creation of a United Nations commission to look into alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Myanmar.

The White House said in a statement Wednesday that it believes the commission could advance the cause of human rights in Myanmar, also known as Burma, by "addressing issues of accountability for responsible senior members of the Burmese regime."

By supporting the U.N. inquiry, the Obama administration is committing itself to backing an investigation of the military junta led since 1992 by Senior Gen. Than Shwe.

Than Shwe's loyalists overturned election results in 1990 that favored the political party of Aung San Suu Kyi (ahng sahn soo chee). Suu Kyi, who was named a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, remains under house arrest.

snip//

The administration's decision was first reported by The Washington Post. An article on the newspaper's website Wednesday quoted unidentified U.S. officials as saying the administration also is considering tightening financial sanctions against the Myanmar regime to perhaps force it to open its political system and free thousands of political prisoners.

The Obama administration entered office with a desire to shift course on Myanmar.

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_US_MYANMAR?SITE=CONGRA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[catgirl]

1. Good news n/t