By DPA
New York : The US has said that the situation in Myanmar is endangering the security of Southeast Asia and urged the involvement of the UN Security Council to resolve the crisis there peacefully.
The 15-nation council Thursday met to discuss the latest developments in Myanmar, where hundreds of Buddhist monks took to the streets to protest the military regime’s clampdown on democracy and human rights.
“We are concerned about the situation because of its impact on the region and we urge the UN special envoy to visit Myanmar as soon as possible,” US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad told reporters.
“The situation poses a threat to security in the region and the Security Council should become engaged,” he said.
The US had tried in the past to have the council address the situation in Myanmar, but its efforts were blocked by China, which said Yangon has to deal with its internal problems.
UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari has planned to visit Yangon in mid-October, but the date had not been confirmed. The visit has to be accepted by the country’s military government.
Gambari told the council of his recent visits to several Asian capitals and said talks were still underway to finalize the date for his visit to Yangon.
“Undoubtedly, the developments over the last few weeks in Myanmar have raised serious concerns in the international community and once again underscore the urgency to step up our efforts to find solutions to the challenges facing the country,” Gambari said.
He said the UN was concerned by the arrests of protesters and conditions in detention centres where hunger strike has been reported. He called on Yangon regime to release the detainees and political prisoners.
Popular unrest in Yangon has spread, involving monks who defiantly marched for the third day in support of Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition National League for Democracy, who has been under house arrest for more than 10 years since her party won presidential elections. She is also a Nobel Peace Prize laureate for fighting for democracy in Myanmar, the former Burma.