KL sees no bars for Myanmar to join ASEAN

KL sees no bars for Myanmar to join ASEAN

KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Myanmar's political troubles will not
disqualify it from its bid to join the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN), founding member Malaysia said yesterday.

"On the basis of what is happening, it will not disqualify
them from being a member of ASEAN," Malaysian Foreign Minister
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told reporters after a meeting with his
Myanmarese counterpart Ohn Gyaw.

Abdullah said he expected the seven ASEAN members -- Brunei,
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and
Vietnam -- to welcome Myanmmar, Laos and Cambodia into the group
in the next few years.

"We certainly are looking forward for the ASEAN 10 to become a
reality before the turn of the century," he said.

ASEAN has adhered to a policy of non-interference and
"constructive engagement" with Myanmar, now ruled by a military
junta that annulled the 1990 general elections won by the pro-
democracy opposition, led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

Although the political situation in Myanmar grew more tense in
recent weeks with the arrest of more than 260 supporters of Suu
Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), most ASEAN members
have described the situation as internal.

"It's not for us to dictate to them what they should do,"
Abdullah said, adding: "I am happy to see Myanmar becoming more
involved with meetings initiated by ASEAN, it certainly has a
good effect for all concerned. "

The Myanmarese foreign minister, who declined to speak to
reporters, was in Kuala Lumpur for a meeting on the development
of the Mekong basin, attended by ministers from 11 Asian
countries.

Ohn Gyaw had earlier described Burma as stable and "safer than
any country around."

U.S. special envoys last week warned Myanmar could destabilize
Southeast Asia if it was allowed to join regional groupings
before the ruling junta and pro-democracy forces achieve
reconciliation.

Reports from Myanmar's capital of Yangon said yesterday that
one Suu Kyi's bodyguards was arrested after he left Suu Kyi's
residence last week.

An NLD official said Hlaing Eva was arrested after he left Suu
Kyi's Yangon compound.

"He went out to the bazaar at around 8 p.m. (1400 GMT), and he
was arrested," the NLD official said.

He said Hlaing Eva, one of Suu Kyi's many NLD bodyguards, has
not been heard from and the party does not know if he has been
charged or where he is being held.

The NLD official also said two of Suu Kyi's personal
assistants, Win Htein and Aye Win, were still being held by the
military government.

Win Htein and Aye Win were two of more than 250 NLD members
who were arrested by the military government last month in a
sweeping crackdown against democracy politicians ahead of a
controversial congress of senior NLD members.

Many of those who were arrested have since been freed but
several dozen remain in custody, NLD sources said.