THAILAND: MYANMAR IS READY TO DISCUSS THAI PROPOSALS OVER DETENTION OF AUNG SAN SUU KYI

Record ID: 648420

  • Title: THAILAND: MYANMAR IS READY TO DISCUSS THAI PROPOSALS OVER DETENTION OF AUNG SAN SUU KYI
  • Date: 2nd August 2003
  • Summary: BANGKOK, THAILAND (AUGUST 1, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. SLV BANGKOK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 0.04 2. SOUNDBITE (English) MYANMAR FOREIGN MINISTER WIN AUNG SAYING (QUESTION - HOW DO YOU FEEL THAT THIS WILL EFFECT YOUR DECISION OR YOUR GOVERNMENTS DECISION ON RELEASING AUNG SAN SUU KYI) "You know everything depends upon the development in our country okay. Development means when it does not go down into the drain. When it is stable then you know we can move forward to normalisation." (QUESTION - DO YOU THINK THAILAND CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN HELPING THAT TO HAPPEN) "They are our friends you see." 0.35 3. MV MYANMAR FOREIGN MINISTER WIN AUNG LEAVES AIRPORT AND CLIMBS INTO HIS CAR; SLV CONVOY LEAVING (3 SHOTS) 1.01 4. SLV EXTERIOR OF GOVERNMENT HOUSE IN BANGKOK; MV LAOS AND CAMBODIAN DELEGATION ARRIVING AND BEING WELCOMED BY THAI FOREIGN MINISTER SURAKIART SATHIRATHAI (2 SHOTS) 1.16 5. MV WIN AUNG ARRIVING AND WELCOMED BY THAI FOREIGN MINISTER SATHIRATHAI 1.30 6. MV THAI PRIME MINISTER THAKSIN SHINAWATRA ENTERS ROOM AND SHAKES HANDS WITH VARIOUS DELEGATES 1.49 7. SCU MYANMAR FOREIGN MINISTER WIN AUNG SPEAKING; SCU SHINAWATRA SPEAKING; MV DELEGATES LOOKING ON; MV DELEGATION (4 SHOTS) 2.08 8. SCU SHINAWATRA TALKING; MV PRESS LOOKING ON 2.15 9. MV FOUR FOREIGN MINISTERS ENTER THE ROOM FOR A PHOTO-OP; MV MEDIA; MV THAI FOREIGN MINISTER SURAKIART SATHIRATHAI SPEAKING (4 SHOTS) 2.40 10. SCU MYANMAR FOREIGN MINISTER WIN AUNG LOOKING ON; SLV DELEGATION (5 SHOTS) 3.00 11. MV UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF ASIAN STUDIES PROFESSOR PORNPIMON TRICHOT LOOKING AT BOOKS; SCU BOOKS 3.11 12. SOUNDBITE (English) PORNPIMON TRICHOT SAYING "The Junta is very arrogant as i told you, they are very proud of themselves and they never let anybody dictate to them to do anything. So the only thing is to secretly keep talking to them, by now they already know what disaster will come if they detain Aung San Suu Kyi any longer." 3.40 13. MV INTERVIEW 3.43 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 17th August 2003 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BANGKOK, THAILAND
  • Country: Thailand
  • Reuters ID: LVA9OPBDEH2S4VSPUNEOWO7CNJNP
  • Story Text: Myanmar ready to discuss Thai proposals over
    detention of Aung San Suu Kyi.

    Foreign Minister Win Aung, in Bangkok for a meeting
    of regional foreign ministers on Friday, will also hold
    bilateral talks with his Thai counterpart Surakiart
    Sathirathai.

    "You know everything depends on the development in our
    country okay. Development means when it does not go down
    into
    the drain. When it is stable then you know we can move
    forward to normalisation,," Win Aung told Reuters when
    asked if the
    release of Suu Kyi would be on the two ministers' agenda.

    International pressure is mounting on Myanmar's
    military, which has ruled the country since a 1962 coup and
    ignored a
    1990 election victory by Suu Kyi's National League for
    Democracy.

    President George W. Bush signed a bill on Monday
    closing the U.S. market to imports from Myanmar and key
    donor Japan
    has cut off new aid. Myanmar's Southeast Asian neighbours
    have taken the unprecedented step of publicly criticising
    the junta.

    Thailand, fearing an influx of economic migrants from
    its western neighbour, is against sanctions and has
    proposed that key Western and Asian countries meet the
    Myanmar junta to hammer out a "road map" for democratic
    transition in the country.

    "The current situation is challenging Myanmar to do
    something," Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Sihasak
    Phuangketkeow told reporters on Thursday.

    "ASEAN has already expressed its view. The ball is in
    Myanmar's court now to turn this challenge into an
    opportunity
    to engage the international community and its internal
    factions".

    The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is
    one of the few groups that accepts Myanmar as a member.

    Last month
    it gave Yangon an unprecedented rebuke over Suu Kyi.

    During Win Aung's visit to Indonesia this week,
    Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said the junta
    had pledged to
    resolve the crisis before an October ASEAN summit.

    Wirajuda's comment appeared to catch Win Aung off
    guard, who would only say Suu Kyi's arrest would not be
    prolonged.

    Some Myanmar experts say increasing international
    pressure on Myanmar will not speed up Suu Kyi's release.

    "The Junta is very arrogant as I told you, they are
    very proud of themselves and they never let anybody dictate
    to them
    to do anything. So the only thing is to secretly keep
    talking to them, by now they already know what disaster
    will come if they detain Aung San Suu Kyi any longer," said
    Pornpimon Trichot from Chulalongkorn University's Institute
    of Asian Studies.

    Red Cross officials, allowed to meet Suu Kyi for the
    first time since her detention two months ago, said on
    Tuesday she was in good health and high spirits.

    Some Yangon-based diplomats and Myanmar exile groups
    say the military orchestrated the May 30 violence which led
    to the arrest of the 58-year-old Nobel laureate.

    They say hundreds of pro-government youths set upon Suu
    Kyi's convoy with clubs while she was touring central
    Myanmar, killing dozens. The government denies this and
    says four people died.


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