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Myanmar seeks Japanese aid, but no
- Subject: Myanmar seeks Japanese aid, but no
- From: darnott@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 28 Nov 1999 11:29:00
Myanmar seeks Japanese aid, but no democratic reforms pledged
BYLINE: MARI YAMAGUCHI
AP, Manila, 28 November 1999. The leader of Myanmar's military government
offered no steps to move toward democracy in a meeting Sunday with Japanese
Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, the first dialogue between the head of a major
democracy and Myanmar since 1988.
Senior Gen. Than Shwe asked for aid, but Obuchi said little would be
forthcoming
without visible vidence that democratic reforms were being implemented. A
Japanese official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there were no
''forward-looking'' proposals from the Myanmar side.
Since troops crushed anti-government protests in Myanmar, also known as
Burma, in 1988, the country has since turned from one of Asia's richest c
ountries into one of the poorest.
Than Shwe met Obuchi on the sidelines of a summit of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations plus Japan, China and South Korea.
The meeting has raised eyebrows as a break in Western solidarity against
the military regime, which has refused to open a dialogue with opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Her party won elections in 1990, but the military
never allowed the parliament to meet.
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