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Published on September 28, 2007

"We hope all parties can exercise restraint and properly handle the situation there to ensure the situation does not escalate," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in Beijing.

"Myanmar's [Burma's] stability should not be affected, neither should peace and stability in the region."

Jiang repeatedly declined to condemn the killings of peaceful protesters in the crackdown that began on Wednesday.

Surayud said China, as well as India, Burma's superpower neighbours, should take action to end the violence.

"Thailand has no potential to solve the problem in Burma, but China and India might have channels to communicate with them," he told reporters in New York.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced the dispatching of his special envoy Ibrahim Gambari to the region to assess the deteriorating situation in the military-ruled state.

UN chief Ban called on the Burmese generals to co-operate fully with his mission in order to take advantage of the willingness of the UN to assist in the process of national reconciliation through dialogue, according to a statement issued by the spokesperson of the UN chief.

Gambari's last visit to Burma was in May 2006. His latest trip to Southeast Asia was last month when he visited senior officials of Asean members including the Thai Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsong-gram. Gambari has not yet received permission from the Burmese leaders in Naypyidaw to enter the country.

He will need to stay in the region until he gets a green light from the generals, the UN Secretary General's spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters at the UN Headquarters in New York.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice supported the UN move saying the junta must issue a visa for Gambari immediately and he should be allowed to see opposition leader including Aung San Suu Kyi while he was there.

World leaders and ministers at the UN General Assembly condemned the crackdown in Rangoon which has reportedly killed at least five people.

The United States and the European Union issued a joint statement decrying the assault on peaceful demonstrators and calling on the junta to open talks with democracy activists, including detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

"The regime has reacted brutally to people who were simply protesting peacefully," Rice said.

"We really do call on the regime to cease all violence and to lay a framework, lay a foundation for a peaceful discussion so that there can be reconciliation and a return to a more free and democratic life for the people of Burma," she added.

In Strasbourg, the European parliament called on Russia and China to stop blocking the UN Security Council from condemning the violent repression of peaceful protests in Burma.

The parliament applauded "the courageous action of the Burmese monks and tens of thousands of other peaceful demonstrators" and "utterly condemns the brutal response by the Burmese authorities".

Supalak G Khundee

The Nation

United Nations