The Myanmar government has rejected a recent report on Myanmar issue, commissioned by former Czech President Vaclav Havel and South Africa's retired Bishop Desmond M Tutu, according to an official newspaper on Friday.

The report, issued on Sept. 20, described Myanmar as posing a threat to regional peace, calling for the United Nations Security Council to act in the country.

A statement of the Foreign Ministry, carried on Friday's New Light of Myanmar, charged the report with attempting again to discredit the government, saying that the report is based on misinformation by a few remaining insurgents and expatriates funded by some Western countries.

The report portrays Myanmar in the most negative light, the statement said, maintaining that there is no basis whatsoever to its claims but to use human rights to "heap accusations upon the government."

The statement refuted a series of charges with regard to those issues including the country's politics and its program, economy, labor affairs and drug control.

In the political sector, it said, national unity and solidarity have been restored through confidence building measures initiated by the government, successfully bringing back 17 anti-government armed groups out of 18 to the legal fold. A seven-step political roadmap program to democracy is underway , it added.

Concerning the economy, the statement noted that it has registered significant growth rates during the past three years.

The statement denounced those allegations with regard to rape, forced labor, child soldiers, refugee outflow and forced relocation in Myanmar, saying that these are "vast exaggerations" or "mere outright distortion."

The statement also turned down allegations regarding Myanmar's drug control endeavors, saying that the country has brought down the opium cultivation and production, citing a report of the UN Office on Drug Control and Crime Prevention that reveals a 73 percent drop in Myanmar's opium cultivation in 2004 from 1996.

The statement said that the government is striving to overcome the challenges faced by the nation relying mainly on its own resources, while welcoming the understanding and support of the international community.

The statement warned that the reports are counterproductive and not of assistance in the efforts of Myanmar towards democratization.

Source: Xinhua