(1 Jul 2009)
1. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon walking to podium
2. Cutaway of camera
3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General:
"When people, when countries just argue, insisting that 'this is my problem, this is my domestic problem,' then there is not much effective way. Look at the case of Iran, when they insisted this is a domestic political issue, but when it comes to many killings of civilians and beating and excessive use of force against democratic rules and principles, against the freedom of expression, against the freedom of assembly and information. Then the United Nations and the international community have the right to say something and even to intervene."
4. Various of audience
5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General:
"But I am going there without much expectations, expected results. When you ask me what kind of outcome i'll be able to achieve, this is very difficult to answer at this time."
6. Wide of Ban at podium during applause
STORYLINE:
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday that the United Nations has a right to speak out and in some cases intervene if a country severely violates the human rights of its citizens.
Speaking to students at Tokyo University on the second day of his visit to Japan, Ban mentioned the recent crackdown on opposition demonstrators in Iran.
Massive street protests over the recent disputed presidential elections in the country brought on an unrelenting crackdown by security forces.
Iranian authorities say 17 protesters and eight members of the volunteer Basij militia have been killed in the unrest, and hundreds of people have been arrested.
Opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi has said Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stole re-election through fraud and demanded a new election, but the Guardian Council, Iran's election oversight body, said on Tuesday that complaints regarding Iran's disputed presidential vote were no longer being considered.
Western analysts have described Ahmadinejad's roughly 2-1 margin of victory as suspicious and improbable.
The UN chief was stopping by Japan ahead of his trip to Myanmar.
On Wednesday, he told students at the University of Tokyo not to expect too much from his visit which he described as challenging.
Ban has called on Myanmar's military-run government to free opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and all of its political prisoners ahead of his trip to the Southeast Asian country this week.
The pro-democracy icon is being held in Myanmar's Insein prison and is being tried on charges of violating the terms of her house arrest after an uninvited American man swam to her closely guarded lakeside home in Yangon in May and stayed two days.
Ban is set to arrive in Yangon - Myanmar's commercial capital - the same day Suu Kyi's trial resumes.
Suu Kyi's trial has drawn outrage from world leaders and human rights groups who say the junta is using the incident as an excuse to keep the pro-democracy icon behind bars through elections scheduled for 2010.
She faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
The junta called elections in 1990, but refused to recognise a landslide victory by Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy.
The UN chief, who is scheduled to meet with junta leader Senior General Than Shwe - said he would use the trip to convey the concerns of the international community "to the highest authority" of Myanmar's government.

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