Violence in Myanmar draws sharp reactions

updated 7:20 p.m. ET Sept. 27, 2007

BEIJING - China issued a plea for calm in Myanmar on Thursday after refusing to condemn the military-run government, while Southeast Asian nations expressed “revulsion” at the violent repression of the demonstrations.

The United States said it was imposing economic sanctions against 14 top officials in the military junta.

A statement issued after a foreign ministers’ meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly’s ministerial meeting in New York strongly urged Myanmar’s government “to exercise utmost restraint and seek a political solution.”

The ASEAN ministers called for the release of all political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who is under house arrest.

“They expressed their revulsion to Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win over reports that the demonstrations in Myanmar are being suppressed by violent force and that there has been a number of fatalities,” the statement said.

“They strongly urged Myanmar to exercise utmost restraint and seek a political solution,” it said. “They called upon Myanmar to resume its efforts at national reconciliation with all parties concerned, and work towards a peaceful transition to democracy.”

Myanmar is an ASEAN member, along with Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.

China refused to condemn, sanction junta
China has come under increasing pressure to use its regional influence to urge Myanmar’s ruling junta to show restraint in dealing with the protests.

On Wednesday, China refused to condemn Myanmar and ruled out imposing sanctions, but for the first time agreed to a Security Council statement expressing concern at the violent crackdown and urging the country’s military rulers to allow in a U.N. envoy.

The U.N. special envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, headed for Myanmar at Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s request to try to promote a political solution and reconciliation efforts. U.N. deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe said Ban had been told by Win that Gambari “will be welcomed by the Myanmar government.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in Beijing that “China hopes that all parties in Myanmar exercise restraint and properly handle the current issue so as to ensure the situation there does not escalate and get complicated.”

The crackdown puts China in a bind. Its communist government has developed close diplomatic ties with junta leaders and is a major investor in Myanmar. But with the Beijing Olympics less than a year away, China is eager to fend off criticism that it shelters unpopular or abusive regimes.

China and Russia contend the situation in Myanmar is an internal affair and doesn’t threaten international peace and security — as required for Security Council action — so getting them to agree to the press statement was considered a positive step.

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