Doctors visit a sick Aung San Suu Kyi
Yangon (AsiaNews) – Pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is under medical care at her home in Yangon where she has been living under house arrest for the past 12 years forced by Myanmar’s military junta. Nyan Win, spokesperson for the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Ms Suu Kyi, said that her personal physician came to her lakeside residence. “But we do not know yet whether she is suffering from a serious illness or not,” he told The Irrawaddy.
Another important NLD leader U Myint Thein said that the poor health of the pro-democracy leader is attributable to the fact that she has not had regular medical check-ups.
Today or tomorrow Aung San Suu Kyi should meet United Nations Special Envoy to Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari, who has been in the country since last Saturday.
Ms Suu Kyi has already met Mr Gambari twice in his last visit a month ago. The UN representative is back to try to work out a solution to the current political crisis and promote democratic reforms.
Gambari’s visit and US pressures
In the meantime the military junta, which has been responsible for the violent crackdown against popular protest in September, has summoned foreign diplomats to the new capital of Naypydaw to meet Mr Gambari. On this meeting there should also be talks with Myanmar’s premier Thein Sein, this according to an anonymous diplomatic source which stated though that the talks’ agenda remains unknown.
Thus far the UN diplomat has met Myanmar’s foreign and labour ministers, International Red Cross officials and representatives of the country’s ethnic minorities. And today he met the ministers of culture and information.
A meeting with the regime’s strongman, General Than Shwe is increasingly unlikely ever since the head of the United Nations diplomatic mission to Myanmar, Charles Petrie, was expelled.
The United States, which has been closely following the Myanmar case, has called on the United Nations to take concrete steps that might bring “actual improvement in the conditions for the Burmese (Myanmar) people,” US Assistant Secretary of State Kristen Silverberg said in Bangkok.”
The United States is also putting pressure on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the military regime’s allies to cut economic ties with Myanmar.
No one has yet to make any comment about Gambari’s mission. Myanmar’s media, which are controlled by the state, have ignored the Nigerian diplomat’s visit—the United Nations have also said very little about the talks.
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25/10/2007
