ID :
191872
Wed, 06/29/2011 - 19:03
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/191872
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Japan tells Suu Kyi plan to help Myanmar's democratization
YANGON Kyodo - A senior Japanese official on Wednesday conveyed to Myanmar pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi Tokyo's plan to support further democratization of the Southeast Asian nation, diplomatic sources said.
Japanese Parliamentary Vice Foreign Minister Makiko Kikuta met with Suu Kyi at her party's head office in Yangon for one hour and discussed human rights issues in Myanmar, which released some political prisoners in May, the sources said.
The meeting took place on the day when the country's state-run media reported that the Myanmar government has effectively banned Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy from engaging in political activities.
The talks between Kikuta and Suu Kyi represented the first official encounter between a senior Japanese government official and the country's pro-democracy icon since August 2002, when then Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi met with the Nobel Peace laureate.
Suu Kyi and Kikuta came out together after their meeting to pose for photographs but declined to comment on what they discussed.
However, later in the day Suu Kyi said they discussed the good relations between Myanmar and Japan, adding that she expressed sympathy to the victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan.
Kikuta arrived in Myanmar on Monday, and on Tuesday she met with Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin and other senior officials in the country's administrative capital Naypyitaw, about 400 kilometers north of Yangon.
During her talks with the minister, Kikuta said Tokyo intends to offer aid, especially to meet the Myanmar people's basic needs, but will decide whether to provide assistance on a case-by-case basis by taking into consideration the situation of human rights and democratization in the country, her ministry said.
Suu Kyi told Kikuta that she expects Japan to think not only about supporting Myanmar's democratization but also maintaining regional peace and stability in disbursing aid. The pro-democracy leader also urged Tokyo to be accountable and ensure transparency as a donor, according to the ministry.
A civilian government led by former senior members of the junta that ruled the country for the past 22 years assumed power in Myanmar at the end of March.
Suu Kyi was released from seven-and-a-half years in detention last November shortly after a general election.
Japanese Parliamentary Vice Foreign Minister Makiko Kikuta met with Suu Kyi at her party's head office in Yangon for one hour and discussed human rights issues in Myanmar, which released some political prisoners in May, the sources said.
The meeting took place on the day when the country's state-run media reported that the Myanmar government has effectively banned Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy from engaging in political activities.
The talks between Kikuta and Suu Kyi represented the first official encounter between a senior Japanese government official and the country's pro-democracy icon since August 2002, when then Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi met with the Nobel Peace laureate.
Suu Kyi and Kikuta came out together after their meeting to pose for photographs but declined to comment on what they discussed.
However, later in the day Suu Kyi said they discussed the good relations between Myanmar and Japan, adding that she expressed sympathy to the victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan.
Kikuta arrived in Myanmar on Monday, and on Tuesday she met with Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin and other senior officials in the country's administrative capital Naypyitaw, about 400 kilometers north of Yangon.
During her talks with the minister, Kikuta said Tokyo intends to offer aid, especially to meet the Myanmar people's basic needs, but will decide whether to provide assistance on a case-by-case basis by taking into consideration the situation of human rights and democratization in the country, her ministry said.
Suu Kyi told Kikuta that she expects Japan to think not only about supporting Myanmar's democratization but also maintaining regional peace and stability in disbursing aid. The pro-democracy leader also urged Tokyo to be accountable and ensure transparency as a donor, according to the ministry.
A civilian government led by former senior members of the junta that ruled the country for the past 22 years assumed power in Myanmar at the end of March.
Suu Kyi was released from seven-and-a-half years in detention last November shortly after a general election.
