Myanmar to exploit propaganda value of summit<\/p>\n
By Stephen Collinson<\/p>\n
YANGON (AFP): Myanmar's generals are determined to exploit the
\npropaganda value of hosting this week's ASEAN Economics Ministers
\nretreat, styling the country as a key regional player and
\nhonored member of an important alliance.<\/p>\n
"Our country is open for high-level visits, and top ranking
\nministers from all over the region will come and look. They will
\nbe surprised at our development," chief Economics Minister Brig.
\nGen. David Abel was quoted as saying in the junta-backed Myanmar
\nTimes.<\/p>\n
The meeting represents a moment of political opportunity for
\nthe government in its bitter battle with the democratic
\nopposition of Aung San Suu Kyi who issues frequently scathing
\ncritiques of the generals' qualifications to rule.<\/p>\n
It is also a chance to thumb its nose at Western powers which
\ndo their best to deprive the junta of a significant role on the
\nworld stage due to Myanmar's dubious human rights record and
\nstatus as a major drugs producer.<\/p>\n
Critics of Myanmar say the military has no right to rule
\nfollowing the crushing election win of Aung San Suu Kyi's
\nNational League for Democracy in 1990.<\/p>\n
But further legitimacy will be conferred on the government on
\nTuesday when envoys from Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing arrive for so-
\ncalled Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus three
\ntalks.<\/p>\n
"Just imagine -- China, Japan, South Korea and our ASEAN
\nbrothers -- you can see the impact and impetus that can be
\ncreated," said Abel.<\/p>\n
The military, which goes under the name of the State Peace and
\nDevelopment Council (SPDC) wants the meeting to exemplify its
\ncentral philosophy -- that it is the only institution capable of
\nensuring stability in a country riven by ethnic differences.<\/p>\n
Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, the head of military intelligence, on
\nMonday welcomed regional trade ministers to a "country that is
\npeaceful, stable and economically vibrant, with people full of
\nzest and full of confidence for the future."<\/p>\n
That's a vision sharply at odds with the Myanmar portrayed by
\nAung San Suu Kyi and the country's critics -- a land of political
\nstrife and economic deprivation struggling under the iron grip of
\nmilitary rule.<\/p>\n
"The government don't expect much to come out of this meeting,
\nthey are just happy they can hold it and deliver the message that
\nMyanmar is at peace and stability has been achieved," one analyst
\nsaid here on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
The meeting marks another step on Myanmar's journey out of the
\nsocialist isolation imposed on the country for nearly 30 years
\nfrom the early 1960s by reclusive dictator Ne Win.<\/p>\n
Myanmar joined ASEAN after concluding that it could no longer
\nafford to go it alone and had more to gain from interacting with
\nits neighbors than by ignoring them.<\/p>\n
But its emergence has not been heralded by any loosening of
\nthe military's grip on the domestic political scene and
\nconsequently its entry into the organization came against bitter
\nopposition from Western critics who accuse the junta of gross
\nhuman rights violations.<\/p>\n
Myanmar's membership has poisoned inter-group relations
\nbetween ASEAN and the European Union, which are only now on the
\nverge of being repaired after several years of acrimony.<\/p>\n
The dispute was triggered by differing approaches to the
\ncountry. ASEAN prefers "constructive engagement" while the EU
\nseeks to punish the junta into reform.<\/p>\n
Officials here stress that Myanmar is an integral part of
\nSoutheast Asia, and is hoping that a return of investment after
\nthe regional crisis will help it ride out the impact of Western
\nsanctions and trade restrictions.<\/p>\n
"The future of Myanmar and ASEAN cannot be separated," said
\nKhin Nyunt.<\/p>\n
"An ASEAN without Myanmar will not be ASEAN in its true
\nsense."<\/p>\n
"Now that the economic recovery of the region is taking place,
\nit is our hope that mutually beneficial cooperation will regain
\nits momentum."<\/p>\n
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
\nMyanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.<\/p>",
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