UN criticized over peacekeeping invite to Myanmar

Human Rights Watch criticized the United Nations today for raising the possibility of Myanmar contributing UN peacekeepers, describing the nation's military as among the most abusive in the world.
The New York-based group voiced its concerns in a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. It said that despite the democratic opening in the country also known as Burma, its military remains unreformed and continues to use child soldiers.
Vijay Nambiar, Ban's special adviser on Myanmar, raised the issue when he met Myanmar commander-in-chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing in late January in the nation's capital Naypyitaw.
"The Burmese military's poor record on rights and civilian protection is profoundly at odds with the standards that UN peacekeepers are expected to defend around the world," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch.

"Any move by the UN to recruit Burmese forces risks grave damage to the UN's reputation."
Asked about Nambiar's meeting, Nick Birnback, UN peacekeeping spokesman, said Monday that Nambiar told the military chief that like any UN member state, Myanmar could discuss its interest in peacekeeping with the world body.

Birnback did not immediately respond to a request today for comment on the Human Rights Watch criticism.
Myanmar's diplomatic mission at the UN did not respond to a request for comment on whether it was interested in contributing peacekeepers a potential source of revenue and international prestige.
A UN report last May cited Myanmar on its list of countries that recruit children to its government forces, although it said Myanmar had made progress. Human Rights Watch said today that while the government has signed an action plan with the UN and committed to releasing all child soldiers by the end of 2013, few have been released.

Birnback said that when considering whether to deploy peacekeepers from a member state, the UN carefully reviews that nation's record on recruiting child soldiers and whether it's taking serious measures to stop it, although there's no formal policy in the UN on barring a nation that it has cited for it.