Top UN official Ibrahim Gambari on Friday met delegates at divisive constitutional talks in military-run Myanmar, a day before he was due to visit detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
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Amidst hopes of a breakthrough, the United Nations Undersecretary-General, Ibrahim Gambari, today arrived in Rangoon in what is his second visit to military-governed Burma. His previous trip was in May 2006.
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As the UN’s top diplomat is meeting Burma’s military rulers on Friday to urge democratic reform, ethnic Karen face ongoing operations by government soldiers that have displaced thousands since the beginning of the year.
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Military-run Myanmar, listed this week by a global watchdog as one of the most graft-ridden countries in the world, has charged 1,247 civil servants over corruption, state media reported Friday.
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Talks over prison visits in military-ruled Myanmar have stalled, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Friday adding other relief operations have been halted after warnings from officials.
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November 9: Despite all sorts of intimidation and interference by Burma’s State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) military regime which is trying weaken the National League for Democracy (NLD), membership in the party has been increasing and not the other way round, said the NLD.
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November 9: Many observers have been speculating that when the UN Under Secretary-General, Mr Gambari visits Burma, there may be some political developments, or at a minimum, the five student leaders who are being detained by the authorities may be released.
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Thailand will not rely on Burma for gas supplies or electricity from controversial river hydro dam schemes for the country’s energy needs in the next decade, new Energy Minister Piyasvati Amranand said in Bangkok Friday.
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Thailand’s military-installed prime minister will join regional leaders in a meeting with US president George W. Bush during an international summit in Vietnam next week, officials said Friday.
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Much has been made of China’s quiet diplomacy, which helped bring a recalcitrant and now nuclear North Korea back to the negotiating table. Beijing’s successful leverage over Pyongyang suggests that China’s strong adherence to the principle of non-interference in the domestic affairs of sovereign nations is loosening. If so, this will have important ramifications for the rest of Asia, perhaps critically altering the geopolitical dynamics.
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November 9: It is hard to know what to expect from United Nations under-secretary general Ibrahim Gambari’s visit to Burma starting today.
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For Immediate Release: November 10th, 2006, Contact: Jeremy Woodrum (202) 246-7924

Speakers, Music, Images Planned for Saturday, November 11th
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