Independent monitors should be given immediate access to any detainees to make sure they are not being mistreated.

There is ample precedent for the Security Council to take up the human rights and political situation in a country with as horrific a record as Burma, especially when suffering spills across borders.

Indonesia's trials for crimes in East Timor speak for themselves: The process was a sham.

Clearly the way the judiciary is being used as an instrument against critics now is a real problem. It shows the problems for the trials and the problem for the United Nations to be mixed up with these people.

The Security Council has taken up urgent human rights and political problems in more than 20 countries this year. If China moves to block this effort they should explain to Aung San Suu Kyi and average Burmese people why their concerns are less important.

There is compelling evidence suggesting that U.S. personnel have committed acts against detainees amounting to torture or cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment.