Information Sheet
N0. C- 2872 ( I/L) 17th December, 2003

GOVERNMENT OF MYANMAR REJECTS US CRITICISM

The Government of Myanmar noted with surprise the erroneous remarks of U.S.
State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher on Tuesday, following the successful conclusion of Monday's conference in Thailand on implementing democracy in Myanmar.

Speaking of the Government of Myanmar, Mr. Boucher said: "What we want to see
is the kind of action that would demonstrate that they're really going to allow the political forces in Myanmar, and the ethnic minorities, to participate in Myanmar's future; that they're going to release these people from jail and allow political parties to become involved in the future of their nation."

Mr. Boucher appears unaware that there have been extremely positive developments in all those areas in recent months. The roadmap toward democracy announced by Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt in August is moving forward at a steady pace, focusing on re-launching the National Convention next year to write a national constitution. Hundreds of people detained on national security grounds have been released, and political parties are resuming their activities.

As Foreign Minister U Win Aung noted very clearly at Monday's conference, eight groups including political parties and ethnic minority groups will all be participating in the National convention, which is the first step in the seven-step road map.

The Government is also encouraging all other national groups and parties to join in the National Convention and build our democratic future together. The National Convention will be representative of the peoples of Myanmar, and will lay the foundation for elections and a stable, democratic, representative government. It will be a government of the Myanmar people, by the Myanmar people, and for the Myanmar people.

Support for the National Convention is strong in Myanmar, in the region, and even among groups which have long been opposed to the current government. The Washington-based Free Burma Coalition recently expressed its support for the Convention, saying, "We sincerely believe it is a first step in the right direction for our country."

Therefore, the Government encourages the United States to join with the international community in helping Myanmar make the transition to democracy. Mere criticism - especially criticism which ignores the facts - is not very helpful.

As the United States is learning in Iraq and Afghanistan, making the transition to democracy is not a simple, quick or easy task.

Despite its pledge to return power to the Iraqi people, the U.S. still has no
concrete plan or timetable for convening a constitutional convention or holding elections. Progress toward a constitutional convention in Afghanistan appears to have stalled. Violence continues in both those countries, terrorist attacks are common, and drug production has soared in Afghanistan since the United States replaced the Taliban with the current regime.

The Government of Myanmar therefore urges the United States to adopt a pragmatic and helpful approach to Myanmar, as we progress along our road map to democracy.

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