UN chief expresses alarm on Myanmar

THE United Nations’ Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday expressed deep concern at the continuous resort to hate speech, provocation of communal hostilities, and the abuse of religion for political purposes in the election campaign in Myanmar, incited by “extreme elements among the majority community in Myanmar.”

In a statement released in New York on Tuesday, Ban said, “With the approaching elections on 8 November, he urges all concerned in Myanmar to eschew any kind of pressure, intimidation, dissemination of hatred or violence against individuals or organizations based on their ethnic identity, gender, religious persuasion or political views.”