No Compromise, Says Junta Mouthpiece

Burmese state-run newspaper, The New Light of Myanmar reported on Monday that there was no reason to hold further discussions with any person or any organization except at the National Convention, despite the ongoing meetings between pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the Burmese Minister for Relations, Aung Kyi.

Burmese protesters residing in Japan holds a huge picture of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a march demanding to urge for more action by the international community against their country's military junta, in Tokyo on November 11. [Photo: Reuters]

Suu Kyi was taken on Monday from her Rangoon's villa where she has been held for the past four years to a state guesthouse, a Reuters report said. "They are supposed to be meeting every week," a Western diplomat at Burma's old capital told Reuters.

However, the statement was attributed to so-called ethnic groups, slamming detained democracy leader for her role in the national reconciliation process. The state media have been launching similar statements against Suu Kyi since November 14 after she issued a statement following her meeting with UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari on November 8.

The newspaper report said that the only dialogue that would resolve the crisis in the country is the National Convention.

The press in Burma is completely controlled by the junta. All articles that appear in newspapers are only published by permission of the state authorities. Publishing without permission can earn those responsible up to 20 years imprisonment under Act 19/20.

On November 17, The New Light of Myanmar reported junta head Snr-Gen Than Shwe's hardline speech at the 2007 annual general meeting of the Union Solitary and Development Association. In his speech Than Shwe said, The prevalence of peace and stability of the state, the economic might of the people, and state and human resources development are essential requirements in building a new state. While understanding these requirements we have declared a Seven-Step Road Map towards a democratic state. The Seven-Step Road Map is the only means to smooth transition towards a new state.

He urged people to join the junta's road map in building a new state.

Than Shwe also claimed that the economic and social standards of people in Burma had improved. He said that the literacy rate had increased to 94.75 percent and that life expectancy of Burmese people had risen due to the development of the military government's healthcare system.

Than Shwe did not mention the role of the UN in Burma's inclusive national reconciliation process in his speech, nor did he mention the meetings between Suu Kyi and the junta's liaison officer, Minister of Relations Aung Kyi,

However, UN agencies and experts say that up to 40 percent of Burmese children leave school every year to work for their family's welfare, because of poverty. And although hundreds of thousands of people are living with HIV/AIDS, the junta invests only about 2 percent of GDP for education and health. 90 percent of Burma's population is living on less than US $300 annual income, the lowest rate among all Southeast Asian nations..