Tuesday, April 13, 2010

SE Asian leaders urge credible Burma elections

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) – SE Asian leaders urged Burma's isolated military regime [April 9, 2010] to hold inclusive elections amid controversy over planned polls the opposition has vowed to boycott and denounced as designed to extend the [dictating] junta's rule. The 16th annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) wrapped up Friday in the Vietnamese capital with a pledge to enhance economic cooperation among the organization's 10 members. Burma's military junta plans to call elections sometime this year. But under the election laws, detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is forbidden from participating. Her party, the National League for Democracy, is boycotting the polls — the first in two decades, potentially undermining the credibility of the outcome. More>>

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