The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is pressing for a Security Council briefing on the situation in Burma.
In a letter sent Tuesday to the council president Russian Ambassador Andrei Denisov, John Bolton requested that a senior UN official formally brief the council on Burma.
Mr. Bolton said Burma's military government has destroyed villages, targeted ethnic minorities and forced mass relocations -- leading to a large number of both internally displaced persons and refugees fleeing across international borders.
Mr. Bolton also said Rangoon has more than one thousand political prisoners and cited unspecified press reports that the government is seeking nuclear power capabilities.
Earlier this month, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution criticizing systematic human rights violations in Burma.
Both Washington and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Burma for its suppression of the pro-democracy movement led by detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Information for this report is provided by AFP.
