Last week, several Burmese exiles living in Thailand were invited to have lunch with President George W Bush at the US ambassador’s residence in Bangkok. 

Months of preparation went into the meeting, which was intended to give Bush an opportunity to learn more about Burma’s current political situation. Although his Thai hosts were understandably concerned about the reaction of Burma’s ruling military regime, the event went ahead without a hitch.

The lunch meeting was relaxed, with Bush acting as an engaging host. He allowed each guest to speak freely and frankly, and showed obvious pleasure in this casual exchange with a varied group of dissidents, former activists and informed Burmese citizens.

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When some of my colleagues learned that I was among those invited to attend the event, which was billed in the regional press as a “meeting with Burmese dissidents,” they jokingly asked me if I had abandoned journalism to become an activist again.

I had to admit that this did give me a bit of an identity crisis, but it didn’t bother me too much.

Although I was once a student activist and had been briefly detained and tortured in Insein Prison for my anti-regime activities, soon after fleeing to Thailand, I turned my attention to documenting human rights abuses in Burma. After founding The Irrawaddy, I committed myself to independent journalism, and no longer considered myself an activist.

So I told my colleagues that I was going to participate in the discussion as a former student activist, informed Burmese citizen and founder of The Irrawaddy, an independent publication.

In fact, many who attended the meeting with Bush were former student activists who were involved in the events of 1988—of the nine guests, seven had participated in the uprising, including several who had spent time behind bars.

However the media chose to identify us, we were all more than happy to meet the US president. It is unfortunate that high-ranking officials and leaders from China and Asean governments have never shown as much interest in listening to Burmese exiles as President Bush demonstrated during this memorable encounter.

Perhaps it is simply the nature of people from Texas, but Bush’s friendly and genuine manner made a strong impression on everyone who attended the gathering. Bush often drew laughter from his Burmese guests. “You will like him instantly,” said one aide; and sure enough, he immediately put us all at ease from the moment he entered the room.

One participant noted with appreciation the strong personal interest Bush and his wife, Laura, have taken in Burmese issues. While the president was discussing politics with his guests in Bangkok, the first lady was visiting refugee camps near the Burmese border and Dr Cynthia Maung’s clinic in Mae Sot.

The lunch meeting and the border visit both sent a strong message to Burma’s neighbors, who have almost entirely ignored the will of ordinary Burmese and continued to support the brutal regime in Naypyidaw out of sheer self-interest. By meeting with Burmese exiles, the Bushes signaled that US support for the Burmese pro-democracy movement would be unwavering.

The lunch meeting lasted one and a half hours, and from beginning to end, Bush remained fully engaged, talking to everyone and discussing US policy on Burma. He was in full command of the facts. One Burmese attendee likened the meeting to a conversation with a kind-hearted teacher who was receptive to everyone’s ideas.

Although his detractors often describe him as lacking in intellectual curiosity, Bush was clearly intent on learning as much as he could about Burma. Throughout the meeting, senior White House officials took a back seat as he personally conducted the exchange of ideas without any input from his advisors.

He was obviously in his element as he sat listening to people committed to issues close to his heart, including human rights, women issues, ethnic and refugee issues, education, health care and press freedom.

Bush has a history of meeting dissidents, not only from Burma, but also from other oppressed countries, such as North Korea and Tibet. However, Bush has never met with Washington-based Burmese groups or dissidents. But he obviously valued this opportunity to have direct contact with Burmese who are closer to the situation inside Burma.

The meeting in Bangkok was not just about Burma.