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Suu Kyi, Campbell Hold Two-hour Meeting

By WAI MOE Wednesday, November 4, 2009
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Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with a delegation led by US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell at Inya Lake Hotel in Rangoon for two hours today, according to US officials.

US Embassy officials in Rangoon said the meeting started 11:40 am local time at the hotel and ended at 1:40 pm.

Aung San Suu Kyi arrives for a meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell at the Inya Lake Hotel in Rangoon, on November 4. (Photo: Reuters)

Earlier today, the visiting US delegation met with Burmese Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein before flying to Rangoon for talks with Suu Kyi.

An official with the US Embassy in Rangoon, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Irrawaddy that the meeting between Thein Sein and Campbell proceeded as scheduled. Campbell will hold a press conference at Rangoon International Airport at 6:30 pm local time.

Campbell’s meeting with Thein Sein was the first between a senior US official and a Burmese prime minister in more than a decade.

At last month’s summit meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), Thein Sein told his Asean counterparts that Suu Kyi has a role to play in the national reconciliation process.

 
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Responding to Thein Sein’s statement, Win Tin, a prominent leader of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), said that if Suu Kyi has a role to play in the national conciliation process, the junta has to prove it practically.

Shortly after his arrival in Rangoon on Wednesday morning, Campbell was scheduled to meet Suu Kyi at the city’s Inya Lake Hotel. Following the meeting with Suu Kyi, the US delegation will meet with ethnic and opposition leaders on Wednesday afternoon.

NLD spokesman Nyan Win said six of the nine members of the party’s central executive committee, including Win Tin and Khin Maung Swe, would meet with the US delegation at the party’s headquarter.

Nyan Win said the three other executive members, including party chairman Aung Shwe and secretary U Lwin, would not be able to attend the meeting because of ill health.



COMMENTS (14)
 
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Oo Maung Gyi Wrote:
13/11/2009
Tocharian,

Burma is a Padetahbin, having everything on the tree. Money and valuable things are there on the Burma Padetha tree. People come and take away the tree and enjoy for their own benefit, not for the people of the country. These kind of peoples are egoists, selfish. The people attached to the powerful people sooner or later have to go away and their history will be recorded for future lessons, but the rightful things will prevail forever. Please do not mind I am not one sided. I come from political stock, not from the business circle.

tocharian Wrote:
11/11/2009
Oo Maung Gyi
To understand "burmese mentality" you have to understand guys like Tay Za and Than Shwe's grandson "Nay Shwe Thwe Aung".

The rest of the Burmese people, especially the corrupt upper middle class, are just covering their "behinds" and sucking up to the junta bosses, because they are all scared that they can't send their money and their children to Singapore!

Oo Maung Gyi Wrote:
05/11/2009
Alan
Please study more about the Burmese people's mentality. Speculation can not work in politics, practicality is the only way to win.

The Burmese peoples do not want physical support, we need only moral support from the world community.

As a matter of fact we are neither slaves of the military and nor is Burma a province of China. In fact we are fighting for our freedom within the Burmese families and international laws. Please understand that we need your moral support too. Well come you.

Yangontha Wrote:
05/11/2009
They all look quite good in the pictures and we hope that the result of their two-hour meeting will also be good for Than Shwe's ears. If not, there would be no Campbell nor Webb's visit to the land of Than Shwe again, but, Yebaw Yettaw, who loved to swim at Inya Lake, perhaps, he might like to swim to Naypyidaw through the military's latest tunnel !!

Steven Baldesco Wrote:
05/11/2009
It's very heartwarming to see her still smile in spite of all the hardships.

George Than Setkyar Heine Wrote:
05/11/2009
Thein Sein saying Daw Suu has a role to play in the national reconciliation process at last year's ASEAN summit is just a ruse and a ploy.

Of course she has a role to play--to help Than Shwe get sanctions lifted. The NLD is played for fools, to crown Than Shwe via his farcical 2010 elections.

Do you think Daw Suu and the NLD are zombies, or what? They would rather go down fighting than play ball with Than Shwe for all humanity to condemn and ridicule or all the gold in the world and live like slaves before heading for hell.

Burma was established by King Anawrahta in 1044 and Daw Suu's father engineered and led the country out of British colonial rule.

National sovereignty and territorial integrity are first and foremost priorities for all nations on earth.

Anyone who jeopardizes national solidarity or territorial integrity would be rid of, irrespective of ethnicity, breed or creed.

Vickie Wrote:
05/11/2009
We should not demand too much, too soon. The race is going to start soon, better be in it and try to change...slowly. No Asean country has Western-style democracy. The first & most important thing is to join the race. Be inside the show, then try to direct the way.

Kyi May Kaung Wrote:
05/11/2009
We'll see and hear, what we will see and hear.

"Concrete changes" not "pragmatism" are the key words.

Kyi May Kaung (Ph.D.)

Alan Wrote:
04/11/2009
Oo Maung Gyi,

Your comment is what the world has come to expect from the Burmese. For a people who like to talk about their own heroism, the Burmese seem awfully disinclined to do anything to help themselves. "Let's just wait and see if Obama can liberate us from our own people." No wonder you've been slaves of the military for nearly fifty years.

You're probably right that it will take centuries for Burma to achieve democracy (if it doesn't become a province of China first). But I doubt many lives will be lost, at least in real battle. For all their talk, the Burmese are not a very courageous bunch. Until the Burmese are prepared to sacrifice their lives--not just a few dozen, or even hundreds or thousands, but tens or hundreds of thousands--the world will regard you with nothing more than pity. You have no right to expect anyone else to solve your problems. If you don't want to fight, why should anyone else care about your plight?

Tyr Wrote:
04/11/2009
What did the ethnic leaders ask for from the junta? To separate from the Union? Never think about it. I don't trust any of the ethnic groups. They always think to separate from the Union. No Yugoslavia, please.

saung Wrote:
04/11/2009
I do not believe US policy on Burma. There is something between Obama and the junta profit sharing. Every country acts for their own benefit nowadays.

EKA Wrote:
04/11/2009
Ethnic leaders cannot freely stay in or travel to Rangoon. If the US delegation are not taking steps to meet these leaders elsewhere, it's all pointless!

timothy Wrote:
04/11/2009
Ethnic leaders must convince the US delegation of the importance of the Panglong Agreement of 1947. It lies at the heart of the meaning of the Union of Burma that was born in 1948.

If any authority, whether a military regime or civilian government decides to drop this agreement, the union will be broken according to the 1947 Agreement.

The majority Burmese have no right to violate the agreement by saying that solidarity of nation is life-long desire of Burma. It is gross violation of Human Rights.

Ethnic leaders must stress the importance of 1947 Agreement. So far no Burmese leaders have been honest enough to earn the trust of Ethnic minorities.

Oo Maung Gyi Wrote:
04/11/2009
All the peoples of Burma have to wait and see the situation of this first engagement with US and Burma Junta. The process will take time, but it can be fruitful as Obama's administration has a will to change Burma.

If US cannot help change in Burma this time, it will take centuries for Burma to become democratic. The struggle will be long and many lives will have to be sacrificed.





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