Aung San Suu Kyi meets junta’s Liaison Minister again

by Salai Pi Pi
Wednesday, 09 December 2009 19:45

New Delhi (Mizzima) - In a sudden development, detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi had a meeting again with Burmese military junta’s Liaison Minister Aung Kyi for about 45 minutes on Wednesday at the state guesthouse in Rangoon, her party spokesperson said.

Nyan Win, spokesperson of Aung San Suu Kyi’s party the National League for Democracy on Wednesday told Mizzima that he had been informed of the meeting between her and junta’s Liaison Minister in the ‘Seinle Kantha’ state guest house.

While details of the meeting are still not known, Nyan Win said, “I think it could be related to the letter that Aung San Suu Kyi sent to Snr. Gen. Than Shwe.”

On November 11, the detained Nobel Peace Laureate sent a second letter to the junta supremo Snr. Gen. Than Shwe, requesting that she be allowed a meeting with her party executive committee members. She also wanted to visit senior leaders of her party to pay her respects to them.

The letter also proposed that she and Than Shwe meet face to face to further discuss activities related to efforts to ease western sanctions on Burma.

In September, the Burmese opposition leader sent the first letter to Than Shwe offering to cooperate and help ease western sanctions. For this she requested a meeting with representatives of the United States, European Union, and Australia, which have imposed sanctions on the Southeast Asian nation.

In a rare gesture, Than Shwe responded positively to her request and allowed her a meeting with the junta’s Liaison Minister and then with representatives of US, EU and Australia.

But an article in the state-run newspaper, the New Light of Myanmar, on Wednesday condemned Aung San Suu Kyi saying she had been insincere in making a proposal to Than Shwe as she had leaked the news of the letter and her requests to Burmese and international media.

So far, Than Shwe has not responded officially to the Burmese democracy icon’s second letter, according a senior member of her party.

Wednesday’s meeting is the third between Aung Kyi and Aung San Suu Kyi since she sent the first letter to Than Shwe.


Edited by Mungpi