Press Release 3/99. Embassy of Myan

[OKKAR66129@xxxxxxx]

Subject: Press Release 3/99. Embassy of Myanmar, Washington DC.

Press Release 3/99. Embassy of Myanmar, Washington DC.


                 EMBASSY OF THE UNION OF MYANMAR
	
                             WASHINGTON,  DC                                  

3 / 99 	          							         5 March 1999
Press Release

Following is the press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in
Yangon today with regard to the 1998 Report on the Humans Rights situation in
the World issued by the Department of State:



	Recently, the United States issued the so-called 1998 Report on the Human
Rights Situation in the world.  It also includes references to the Union of
Myanmar. As in the previous reports, the 1998 Human Rights Report neglects the
positive developments taking place in the country and does not reflect the
true situation of Myanmar.  It ignores the fact that Myanmar is enjoying
unprecedented peace and stability and that the people are happily engaged in
the pursuit of better standard of living and decent quality of life without
fear and anxiety.  Indeed, the State Department of the United States of
America had once again focused on accusations based on unfounded facts and
information from unscrupulous sources.

	It is generally recognized that any government, institutions or individual
seeking to  promote human rights should bear in mind the significance of
national and regional peculiarities as well as historical, cultural and
religious backgrounds together with the stage of economic development.
However, it seems that the United States has turned a blind eye to these facts

and is using the pretext of human rights and democracy to  interfere in the
internal affairs of other nations.

	The United States speaks of human rights but ignores the right of other
sovereign and independent nations to lead their own lives and to shape their
own destinies without interference or pressure.  It appears to have forgotten
that according to the United Nations Charter and the norms of international
law, all countries, large or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, have the
right to choose their own political system, road to development and social
values.  The United States speaks of democracy but tries to dictate how a
country should be run or even who should run the nation without paying heed to
the actual situation in that country or its challenges and potentials.


	The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Union of Myanmar, therefore,
categorically rejects the one-sided assessment of the United States on the
human rights situations in Myanmar since it is based on unfounded facts and is
nothing more that a politically motivated document aimed at interfering in the
internal affairs of Myanmar.



Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Yangon

Dated   5 March 1999


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