UN Council Holds Emergency Meeting on Myanmar Crisis (Update2)

By Bill Varner

Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting today on Myanmar after the Southeast Asian nation's military junta imposed a curfew in the former capital, Yangon, and police used force on protesters. At least one person was killed.

British Ambassador John Sawers suggested that it was unlikely the Security Council would agree on any position on the crisis. He referred to the ``wide range of views,'' without specifically mentioning past Chinese and Russian resistance to action by the UN's highest body.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is sending his envoy for Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, back to the country and asked the military rulers there to ``exercise utmost restraint toward the peaceful demonstrations.'' Gambari is briefing the Security Council before heading to Myanmar.

The protests are the biggest show of defiance against the junta since a pro-democracy uprising 19 years ago. That revolt was crushed when the army killed 1,000 protesters on Aug. 8, 1988, and an estimated 3,000 others in the weeks afterward, according to the U.S. State Department.

A 30-year-old man was shot dead when security forces opened fire on a crowd, the Associated Press reported, citing the government.

World `Watching'

U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown earlier today called for Security Council action, saying the junta in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, faces international scrutiny. Agreement on a statement would have to overcome resistance from China and Russia, which vetoed a U.S.-drafted resolution in June that would have pressed the Burmese government to free political prisoners and move toward democracy.

Russian Deputy Ambassador Konstantin Dolgov told reporters before the meeting that the situation in Myanmar wasn't a ``threat to international peace and security,'' the criterion for council involvement.

The military was using batons and tear gas, Charles Petrie, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Myanmar, said in a telephone interview from the city. Officials warned civilians over megaphones not to take part in protests, British Ambassador Mark Canning said by phone.

Appeal to China

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill plans to urge Chinese officials to use their influence to persuade the Myanmar regime to avoid violence, State Department spokesman Tom Casey said in Washington. Hill is in Beijing for a meeting with envoys of North Korea and four other nations involved in talks to end the North Korean nuclear program.

President George W. Bush yesterday announced new U.S. sanctions on Myanmar and asked the UN to pressure the regime to end its ``reign of fear'' in the country.

``The ruling junta remains unyielding, yet the people's desire for freedom is unmistakable,'' Bush told the General Assembly in New York. Member states must use their ``diplomatic and economic leverage'' on the regime, he added.

The U.S. will tighten economic sanctions on junta leaders ``and their financial backers'' and expand a visa ban ``on those most responsible for the egregious violations of human rights,'' Bush said. The U.S. already bans all imports from Myanmar, restricts financial transactions and prohibits new investment in the country.

In Brussels, the European Union said today it would ``reinforce and strengthen'' sanctions on Myanmar in case the authorities ``resort to using violence against the unarmed and peaceful demonstrators.'' Current EU measures include an arms embargo, an asset freeze and a visa ban on junta officials.

French Pressure

Myanmar, bordered by India, Bangladesh, China, Thailand and Laos, is slightly smaller than Texas and has a population of 47 million. It gained independence from the U.K. in 1948 and experienced persistent political and ethnic conflict until the military seized power and abolished the constitution.

The junta rejected the results of parliamentary elections in May 1990, won by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's League for Democracy, and suspended parliament. Suu Kyi, 62, has spent almost 12 years in detention since the election, and was last placed under house arrest at her home in Yangon in 2003.

International sanctions have stifled economic growth in the nation, which had proven natural gas reserves of 17.7 trillion cubic feet at the end of 2005, or 0.3 percent the world's total, according to BP Plc, and resources including teak, zinc, copper and precious stones.

Protests intensified last month after the regime doubled the cost of some fuels, making public transport unaffordable for many residents, Human Rights Watch said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Bill Varner at the United Nations at wvarner@bloomberg.net