The United Nations chief, Mr Ban Ki Moon returned to New York on Monday 26 May after a visit to the disaster-hit zones in Burma and China. While in Burma, Ban Ki Moon had also attended an international donors conference, in which millions of dollars were given to Burma as aid for the reconstruction work following cyclone Nargis.

 

Ban Ki Moon stated before the media that he ‘regrets’ the intention of the Burmese government to extend the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi for a sixth consecutive year. The UN chief said that the sooner the limits slapped on political prisoners like Daw Aung San Suu Kyi got removed, the sooner Burma would head towards inclusive national reconciliation, restoration of democracy and full respect for human rights.

 

Both before leaving for the Burma and China tour and after, Mr Ban Ki moon had made it clear that he would not pressurize the Burmese government as far as the pro-democracy agenda is concerned. He said he was visiting on purely humanitarian grounds with the intention of helping the victims of the recent natural disasters. However, Ban Ki Moon conceded that he did talk on some political matters after Burma's leader Senior General Than Shwe himself opened the topic.