Myanmar on Friday ordered the expulsion of the United Nation’s top diplomat in the country after his office issued a critical statement urging the ruling generals to heed the voices of protesters.
The diplomat, Charles Petrie, was handed a letter ordering his expulsion at the end of a meeting with government officials on Friday in Naypyidaw, the capital.
“The government of the Union of Myanmar does not want Mr. Petrie to continue to serve in Myanmar, especially at this time when the cooperation between Myanmar and the United Nations is crucial,” the letter said.
The sudden decision comes on the eve of a six-day visit by the UN special envoy to Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, aimed at bridging the gap between the junta and its opponents.
UN Spokesman in Bangkok, Hak-Fan Lau said Petrie was expelled because the envoy has earned the ire of the ruling junta when he spoken out the regime's violent suppression of the protests
Meanwhile, despite this twist of event, Gambari assured he would not cancel his scheduled visit in the country.
The office of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement saying that he was “disappointed” by the Myanmar government’s move and that he had instructed Mr. Gambari to convey his views on the expulsion directly to the authorities.
The Bush administration sharply criticized the expulsion.
On Oct. 24, Mr. Petrie’s office issued a statement urging the government to listen to dissenting voices in Myanmar and warning of a “deteriorating humanitarian situation.” It concluded with a reference to the protests, which erupted after a fuel price increase in August and developed into a wider 
movement calling for political change.
Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs protested the next day, saying the statement was “unprecedented” and “very negative,” and it complained that Myanmar officials had not been notified in advance.
No comments:
Post a Comment