Position Paper for the Union of Myanmar (HYS)

Disease Control

Myanmar is fully committed to ensuring the highest possible standard of health as one of the fundamental rights of every citizen. Representing the people of the Union of Myanmar, we deny and condemn the groundless accusation of the MSF that our government has isolated the country and left the 48 million Myanmar people with health difficulties. It is a fact that our country faces threats from diseases, but the efforts made in improving the health of the people especially of children, and for ensuring equitable access to health care in the rural and border areas are noteworthy. The Department of Health has provided services for malaria control, leprosy therapy program, TB treatment, and immunization of children against six major childhood diseases. Myanmar is capable of handling disease outbreaks, and in fact we were one of the countries that was not at all affected by the SARS outbreak. Myanmar will go on cooperating with our partners UN, UNICEF, WHO, and participating in regional cooperation of disease control.

 

Human Rights at Times of Crisis

Myanmar is deeply committed to promoting respect for basic human rights and fundamental freedom of all peoples, including those with different political beliefs. However, we are economically weak and thus cannot afford any social or political instability, including riots and civil war. Democracy is a luxury to us. We are aware of the increasing concern of the freedom of Aung San Suu Kyi, but me must hereby seek your consideration that she is detained for the sake of peace and well being of the whole country. We believe that all countries have the right to detain those who pose a threat to the nation, politically, socially and economically. We sincerely ask your understanding that our country cannot pay the heavy price of internal conflict, which would lead to the collapse of the economy, despite the fact that we most truly value human rights. 

 

Nuclear Proliferation

Myanmar, being aware of the major gap concerning nuclear development from the rest of the world, now hopes to narrow the gap. In pursuing the benefits of nuclear technology such as nuclear power and nuclear medicine, Myanmar will support the research work and scientific training concerning nuclear technology within the country. However, bound under the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty it has signed, Myanmar is obliged to suppress all uses of nuclear resources that are not applied for peaceful purposes. We sincerely urge all countries in the world to stop their nuclear weaponry programs immediately, including nuclear tests of any sort. These pose a serious threat to world peace, and are abuses of the advanced nuclear technology. Moreover, we strongly disapprove of some western nations for condemning the less developed nations for possessing nuclear weapons while these western nations themselves possess nuclear weapons or have plans to develop nuclear weaponry.