A supporter waves a National League for Democracy flag as he reacts to a speech by political activist and leader of the 1988 student uprising Min Ko Naing (not pictured), one of the most prominent opponents of the regime, in Tharyar Waddy, a town north of Yangon, on January 14, as Min Ko Naing travels back to Yangon a day after his release from detention. Myanmar said on January 14 it freed more than 300 political prisoners in its most significant amnesty yet, a move which prompted the United States to pledge it would restore full diplomatic ties. AFP
The Philippines has called on the global community to lift sanctions on Burma (Myanmar) to reward “unprecedented” reforms that are taking place and help the country move toward democracy.
The Philippines, which for many years was one of the most outspoken Asian critics of military rule in Burma, particularly welcomed the government’s pledge last week to release 651 political prisoners in a mass amnesty.
“This action demonstrates the political resolve and commitment of the Thein Sein government to nurture an environment for an enduring national reconciliation and democracy,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement issued late Tuesday.
It said that the “unprecedented political and economic reforms now under way in Myanmar should find reciprocal gesture from the international community and that international sanctions against Myanmar should already be lifted.”
The United States and the European Union implemented sanctions against Burma in the 1990s as punishment for the military’s oppressive rule.
But Thein Sein, who was appointed president of Burma in March last year to head a nominally civilian government that replaced the military junta, has stunned the world with his reform drive.
Western nations have responded positively to the reforms, with the United States saying last week it would restore full diplomatic ties with Burma.
DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez on Wednesday said that his government, along with other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, had already called for a lifting of sanctions on Burma last year.
He said the Philippines reiterated its call on Tuesday for sanctions to be lifted because of the recent positive developments in Burma. AFP
Originally posted at 01:04 pm | Wednesday, January 18, 2012