As
Myanmar
Bans Some
Voting,
Invites UN to
Come &
Report Back to
Ban
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
March 27 -- In
the run up to
elections in
Myanmar in
which
at least three
constituencies
will be
allowed to
vote, Inner
City
Press on
March 26 asked
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
deputy
spokesman
Eduardo Del
Buey if Ban
thinks "it
would be good
if
everybody in
Myanmar can
vote in this
upcoming
election,
and what
does he think
of this
suspension of
voting rights
in parts of
Kachin
state?"
That
day, Del Buey
rationalized
the
disenfranchisement,
saying "it all
depends on
the nature of
the
suspension. If
the suspension
is for
security
reasons,
obviously, if
you can’t hold
elections
because of
security
reasons, you
may have to
wait until the
security
situation is
such
that election
authorities
can go into
the region."
But
in further
response the
next day March
27, Ban's
spokesperson's
office told
Inner City
Press that
Subject:
Questions
at the
briefing
From: UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at] un.org
Date: Tue, Mar
27, 2012 at
3:25 PM
To:
Matthew.Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
Your
question
yesterday on
Myanmar: In
response to
the
government’s
invitation, it
has been
decided that
the United
Nations will
be
present with a
delegation
from UN
Headquarters
in New York.
The
delegation
will follow
the election
and report
back to the
Secretary-General
at the
conclusion of
its mission.
And
then, Ban has
said, he may
travel to
Myanmar later
in April. But
what about the
Kachin?
Also
regarding Ban
Ki-moon
current trip
which took him
through
Malaysia,
Singapore and
Thailand on
his way to his
native South
Korea, Inner
City Press on
March 27 asked
Ban's deputy
spokesman if
he had raised
the issue of
the death
penalty in his
meetings in
any of these
three nations,
all
of which
conduct
executions.
The issue is
not in Ban's
readouts, and
his deputy
spokesman
would not say
if it was
raised. Watch
this site.
, 
