Malaysia to Send Election Monitors to Burma

KUALA LUMPUR – 23 March 2012: Malaysia is going to send its officials to observe and monitor Burma’s upcoming by-elections on 1st April.

Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the country would also give its encouragement to the process of national reconciliation in Burma.

“We hope the coming election (in Burma) will be credible and the integrity of the process should not be questioned.”

“I will be visiting Myanmar next week and will have the opportunity to meet with President Thein Sein. We will give all our encouragement to the process of national reconciliation and a return to democracy in Myanmar,” he said in a joint press conference with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in Malaysia on Thursday.

It was reported that Burma has invited United States and the European Union to send representatives to observe elections in April.

Burma’s democracy icon, Aung San Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy, will participate in the by-elections after boycotting previous votes.

Reporting by Thomas Chong