The government of Myanmar has agreed to a visit by the UN's human rights investigator, who has been barred from entering the military-ruled country since 2003, the United Nations said Monday.
In a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday, Myanmar's Foreign Minister Nyan Win suggested that Paulo Sergio Pinheiro's visit take place before the November 17 summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, UN spokeswoman Michele Montas said.
Myanmar has been strongly criticized for sending troops to quash peaceful protests, initially led by students and then by Buddhist monks, in late September. The 10-nation southeast Asian bloc, which includes Myanmar, expressed "revulsion" at the violent repression of the demonstrations and urged the government to exercise restraint and seek a political solution. The UN Human Rights Council condemned the crackdown at an emergency session on October 2 and urged an immediate investigation of the rights situation in the country. |