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7, but human rights advocates are skeptical whether political prisoners will be included. According to Reuters news agency, an official in the correction department said that the military government has plans for an amnesty ahead of the election. The prisoners to be released had sentences that would end in November or December, and it was not clear whether political prisoners would be included in the amnesty. There are about 2,200 political prisoners in Burma.

Junta’s Lack of Engagement Frustrating: Ban

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has again expressed his frustration over the Burmese junta’s lack of democratic engagement, as the country prepares for its first election in 20 years. “It is a source of disappointment that, despite our best efforts, Myanmar [Burma] failed to utilize my good offices and engage meaningfully on issues of mutual interest and concern during the reporting period. This is a regrettable lost opportunity for Myanmar to pursue our shared goals,” Ban said in a report on human rights in Burma. “Myanmar’s lack of engagement is deeply frustrating, as it not only contradicts its stated policy of cooperation with the United Nations but also limits my ability to fully implement the mandate entrusted to me by the General Assembly,” he said.

USDP Campaigner Murdered in Shan State

The junta-backed USDP is concerned about electioneering in northern Shan State following the murder of one of its local members. Local sources in Shan State said a village headman in Nang Lan Township in northern Shan State was killed inside his home shortly after he had been campaigning publicly for the USDP. The sources said he was gunned down by two men who have not been found. Police are questioning a villager who reportedly was stopped by the gunmen and asked for directions to the victim’s house.

EU-Asia Summit Urges Release of Burmese Prisoners

Leaders of 48 Asian and European countries urged Burma’s military junta to release political prisoners before the Nov. 7 election. The leaders attending the biannual Asian-European Union summit, or ASEM, said they “touched upon the issue” of Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader who has been under house arrest for 15 of the last 21 years, but did not specifically call for her freedom. But a statement concluding the two-day conference said the release of detainees would help the elections be “more inclusive, participatory and transparent.” The statement also urged the government to talk with all parties in a process of national reconciliation, saying a free and fair election would be a step toward “a legitimate, constitutional, civilian system of government.”

New Flag Flying in Burma

Burma’s new four-color flag

A new junta-designed flag is flying across the country for the first time in 36 years since the former ruling Burmese Socialist Programme Party changed the 1947 independence-era flag in 1974. According to sources inside the country, the old flag was replaced at 3 p.m. On Oct.21 in the capital of Naypyidaw, and at 3:33 p.m. at Rangoon’s City Hall, a decision that observers said was made based on advice from astrologers. The new flag will represent the Republic of the Union of Myanmar [Burma] under the junta-backed 2008 Constitution, adding a third flag to the history of the post-colonial Southeast Asian nation.

At UN, Burmese FM Defends ‘Inclusive’ Election

Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win assured the United Nations general assembly that the November election will be free and fair. “With its ample experiences and lessons learnt in holding multiparty general elections in the past, Myanmar [Burma] is confident in its ability to conduct the elections in an orderly manner,” Nyan said in his address to the 65th session of the United Nations General Assembly.