Myanmar Invites Asean Secretariat, Member States To Observe April By-Elections

By Ahmad Fuad Yahya JAKARTA, March 21 (Bernama) -- Myanmar has invited the Asean secretariat to send a five-member observer delegation, accompanied by three media personnel, to observe the April 1 by-elections. It has also invited two parliamentarian members, accompanied by three media representatives, from each Asean member state. In its invitation letter to the Asean Secretariat, Myanmar requested the teams to arrive in Yangon on March 28 and to attend a briefing the following day, the Asean Secretariat said in a statement here Tuesday. The April by-elections have attracted a lot of attention and Myanmar has urged relevant countries to lift their sanctions and allow the country to pursue its development and to improve the living standards of its people. Forty-eight parliamentary seats have been left vacant as former members were appointed to fill cabinet posts and other executive positions in the Union Government. Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the Opposition Party, National League for Democracy (NLD), has decided to contest in the by-election in one constituency near Yangon. The NLD is also fielding candidates in all other vacant constituencies. Last month, in response to the recommendation of Asean secretary-general Dr Surin Pitsuwan during his visit, President Thein Sein said that Myanmar would seriously consider having observers from Asean and the Asean Secretariat during the April elections. The two leaders agreed that such a move would boost transparency, which will add to the international goodwill that Myanmar has attracted so far. -- BERNAMA