The UN Security Council holds its first formal discussion of the situation in Burma today.
The Security Council voted September 15th to include Burma on its agenda. The move came over objections from China and was condemned by the Burmese government, which said the country does not pose a threat the regional security.
A report commissioned by the UN last year from former Czech President Vaclav Havel and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu of South Africa disagreed. It said the flow of refugees from Burma causes regional instability, and that drug trafficking, human trafficking and the spread of communicable diseases in the country were serious problems.
The Security Council meeting on Burma is closed to the public and the Council did not specify which issues it would be discussing.
Putting an issue on the Security Council agenda starts a process that puts it under increased formalized UN scrutiny.
The human rights group Human Rights Watch has said the Security Council discussion must result in a call for democratic reform by the international body.
