Lifting of sanctions hailed

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Myanmar today hailed the decision of the EU to formally lift non-military sanctions against the south-east Asian country.

“The decision of the EU is a welcome development,” said Aung Lynn, Myanmar’s director-general for the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) affairs.

“We have been expecting this since we started the reform process and believe that EU will make (more) similar actions recognising the developments in our country,” he said on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Brunei.

Decision

Aung said the EU decision to lift the sanctions would boost his country’s reform programmes.

“There are many things that we have to work hard on together with the EU. This is a very good beginning,” he said.

“We will continue our reforms and democratic process. I understand that EU will do the same in recognising our reforms.”

Aung rejected allegations by Human Rights Watch that recent sectarian violence was a campaign of ethnic cleansing.

“This is a separate issue, a domestic issue. We are dealing with it very seriously internally,” he said. – Sapa-DPA BOSTON: Mourners crowded outside a suburban Boston church yesterday for the funeral of Krystle Campbell, 29, a restaurant manager.

The funeral of student Lingzi Lu was held last night.

No public funeral has yet been scheduled for the bombing’s youngest victim, eightyear-old Martin Richard.

Near the blast zone, FBI officials lowered an American flag that had flown near the site of the bombing since April 15, and law enforcement officers carefully folded it and presented it to Boston mayor Thomas Menino.

It was part of the process of investigators to turn the crime scene back over to the city.

Boston Catholic Cardinal Sean O’Malley spoke, according to an order of service.

Chuck Walsh, a retired custodian of Medford High School, came from Ossipee, New Hampshire, for the funeral of Campbell, whom he remembered calling him “Mr Chuck” in her school days.

After the funeral, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Menino led a moment of silence at the State House , to mark one week since the first bombing.

In the evening, Boston University held a memorial service for graduate student Lu.– Reuters