Myanmar says top general will not run in elections

[October 28, 2010]  HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- Myanmar said its top leader will not run in next month's elections as it presented a new image to the world at a regional summit, while the U.N. chief warned that the vote may lack legitimacy if the country's junta does not release political prisoners.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told The Associated Press on Thursday that even though the freed dissidents will not be able to participate in the Nov. 7 elections, their release would at least create a "perception that this election will be more inclusive."

The Southeast Asian country's military rulers have enacted laws that prevent detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners from contesting the elections. That leaves the key junta-backed party as the only strong contender to win the elections, which have been slammed by critics as a pre-rigged sham.

"Without releasing all political prisoners, then there may certainly be some issue of legitimacy or credibility," Ban said in the exclusive interview in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

He gave the interview before flying to Hanoi where he will meet with Myanmar Prime Minister Gen. Thein Sein (pronounced "Tane Sane") on the sidelines of an annual regional summit. Although Thein Sein represents his country at international events, he takes his orders from junta leader Senior Gen. Than Shwe.

For the first time, the reclusive government confirmed that Than Shwe would not be participating in the national polls, according to diplomats at the Hanoi conference, though it remains unclear what role he may have after the elections.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo said Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win told his counterparts during an informal dinner Wednesday that Than Shwe will not be on the ballot.

It had been speculated that he would not run because his name did not appear on the candidates' list, but Than Shwe had never spoken about his future and no officials had publicly broached the issue of his retirement. He is widely expected to have some new role and title after elections. Many think he could become the next president, which is not an elected position.

"You know the system they have. He will be elected president, I'm almost sure," Romulo said.

The military junta, which has been in control for the past five decades, worked to put a fresh face on the oppressive country at the Hanoi meeting, unveiling a redesigned flag and new national name -- going from "Union of Myanmar" to "Republic of the Union of Myanmar."

Many observers fear the makeover is merely a facade to mask the shortcomings of the long-awaited Nov. 7 election.

The junta has billed the polling as a big move forward in the country's so-called roadmap to democracy. Critics say the junta has taken steps to block transparency and ensure that the military remains in power by repressing the main opposition party and limiting campaigning.

Myanmar officials refused to directly confirm whether Suu Kyi, who's been imprisoned or under house arrest for 15 of the past 21 years, would be released from her house arrest when her detention expires on Nov. 13.

"We expected and hoped that she should have been released much earlier," Ban said. "Now at this time I would strongly urge the Myanmar authorities that it is not too late -- even at this time -- to release all political prisoners so that the Nov. 7 elections could be more inclusive and more participatory and credible," he said.

Romulo said her fate remains uncertain. During the Wednesday dinner, Nyan Win, the Myanmar foreign minister, simply asserted that the country would follow its laws.

"We all pressed him to release Aung San Suu Kyi, but he was noncommittal," said Romulo, adding that he told Nyan Win he is unconvinced she will be released at all.

"I am skeptical about that," Romulo said he told Nyan Win. "She has been sentenced and after that she is re-sentenced again with another, so there's no end to it."

However, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said Myanmar did not contest that Suu Kyi's detention ends on Nov. 13. He said that when pressed, Nyan Win would not confirm that the Nobel Peace Prize winner would be released unconditionally.

"Our understanding is that the term of her sentence will be expiring in November," Natalegawa said. "And that understanding was not disputed."

Suu Kyi's party is boycotting the elections as undemocratic after winning a landslide victory in 1990 that was dismissed by the military leaders. Other world leaders also are expected to prod Myanmar during the three-day meeting.

China also is expected to dominate discussions following a number of territorial spats on the high seas.

China claims sovereignty over the entire South China Sea, but parts of it are also claimed by several of its Southeast Asian neighbors, including Vietnam. The Communist giant recently clashed with Japan over a ship collision in the East China Sea, straining relations and stoking anti-Japanese protests.

Heads of state from the ASEAN countries -- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- along with leaders from Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the United States will attend the summit.

[Associated Press; By JIM GOMEZ and VIJAY JOSHI]

Associated Press writer Vijay Joshi contributed to this report from Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.