According to reports out of Washington, the Obama administration is to throw US support behind a UN investigation of war crimes committed by the junta in Myanmar, the state formerly known as Burma.
While supporting the UN commission of inquiry, the White House would also back tougher sanctions against the junta. The timing of these events is significant, given that the military leadership of Myanmar has scheduled elections there for early November, an attempt to give a civilian face to the cadre of generals who control the country with an iron fist.
This vote is nothing but a sham in a country where open opposition is thwarted by imprisonment and where freedom of speech is non-existent. There are more then 2,000 political prisoners including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner. These activists are prevented from standing for political office in the November elections.
Refugees who make the arduous journey through the jungles of Myanmar to Thailand tell of brutal crackdowns, civil rights abuses and acts of oppression. One need but recall the events some years ago when public protests were met with sustained military violence. Any inquiry should be supported.
