The United States says it has accepted
Burma's invitation to send two election observers and three journalists to
monitor and report on upcoming by-elections in the Southeast Asian nation.
U.S.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland praised the invitation, calling it
a “welcomed first step” by Burma's new government as it seeks to restore ties
with the West.
Those
ties were severely strained by decades of Burmese military rule. Nuland said
Washington will consult with other observer countries, including a grouping of
Southeast Asian nations, in the runup to the April 1 polls.
The
U.S. response came hours after the Thai-based Asian Network for Free Elections
coordinator Somsri Hananuntasuk was told to pack her belongings and leave Burma
on Tuesday.
She was
told to reapply for an appropriate visa instead of the tourist visa she used to
enter the country last week. She was
attempting to persuade elections officials to allow her group to monitor the
upcoming polls.
The
U.S. and European invitations mark a reversal from controversial elections in
2010, which brought to power a government dominated by close allies of the
former military government.
However,
the new administration has introduced a series of reforms, including permitting
the opposition National League for Democracy and its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi,
to participate in the by-elections.
Earlier
Wednesday, U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Adrienne Nutzman, speaking in Rangoon,
called it “notable” that the invitation was extended to foreign journalists as
well. She said the move demonstrates an increased openness in the country.
The
United States and the European Union have said the April 1 elections will be a
crucial test of the Burmese government's commitment to reform, and will in
large part determine whether long-standing Western sanctions will eventually be
lifted.
Mizzima
News
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