The United States says it is preparing a resolution on Burma to introduce in the U.N. Security Council in the coming weeks.

Aung San Suu Kyi (May 2002)

State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters Thursday that the resolution will underscore the international community's concerns about the continued detention of democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. He said it will also say the Burmese government needs to ensure an inclusive and democratic political process.

Casey added that the Burmese government has made a number of economic decisions that have made the situation increasingly difficult for people in that country.

Meanwhile, the U.S.-based Refugees International group says the Burmese people desperately need more humanitarian aid and cannot wait for a change in government to get it. U.S. sanctions on Burma restrict the amount of aid the United States can provide.

Refugees International says half a million people have been internally displaced in Burma and more than a million have fled to neighboring nations.

Amnesty International and the U.S. Campaign for Burma have also called on the U.N. Security Council to act on Burma's deteriorating human rights. They have noted in particular the flight of thousands of ethnic Karen in the eastern part of the country as they tried to avoid persecution by Burmese soldiers.