UN secretary general arrives in Myanmar

YANGON - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Yangon Friday for a two-day official visit during which he will press for the release of all political prisoners, including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Ban and his entourage arrived at Yangon International Airport and were whisked to the Sadonah Hotel in downtown Yangon, witnesses said.

The UN chief is expected to fly to Naypyitaw, 350 km north of Yangon, Friday where he will meet junta chief, Senior General Than Shwe, and 25 representatives from political parties, including four leaders from the National League for Democracy (NLD) opposition party.

It is unclear whether Ban will be allowed to meet opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is currently being held at Yangon’s infamous Insein Prison.

Ban last visited Myanmar in May, 2008, to hasten international aid to the country in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, which killed up to 150,000 people.

Ban’s talks with Myanmar’s senior leadership are expected to focus on a plea for the release of all political prisoners including Suu Kyi; resumption of dialogue between the government and opposition; and the need to create conditions conducive to credible elections planned in 2010.

“I will try to use this visit as an opportunity to raise in the strongest possible terms and convey the concerns of international community of the United Nations to the highest authorities of the Myanmar Government,” Ban told a press conference in Tokyo Thursday.

“Three of most important benchmarks would be: first of all, they should release all political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi; they should immediately resume the dialogue between the government and opposition leaders; and they should also create an atmosphere, political as well as a legal framework, conducive to the credible election which needs to be taken next year in a most objective, transparent and democratic manner,” he added.

Observers believe it is highly unlikely that Than Shwe will agree to release Suu Kyi prior to the 2010 polls.

The first day of Ban’s visit will coincide with the resumption of the trial of Suu Kyi on charges of violating her house arrest, by allowing a US citizen to swim to her lakeside residence in Yangon.

Suu Kyi’s case, being held at a special court set up in Yangon’s Insein Prison, is scheduled to resume Friday with testimony from defence witness Khin Moe Moe, an attorney.

The trial began May 11. While the prosecution was allowed to present 14 witnesses in the first week, the defence was initially allowed only one. Later, Khin Moe Moe was permitted to testify.

Critics say the military junta is using the case as a pretext to keep the 1991 Nobel peace laureate in jail during a politically sensitive period, leading up to next year’s general election.

Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won the 1990 general election by a landslide but has been blocked from power by Myanmar’s junta for the past 19 years.

The new trial of Suu Kyi, whose most recent six-year house arrest sentence expired May 27, has sparked a chorus of protests from world leaders and statements of concern from its regional allies in the Association of South-East Asian Nations.