Myanmar junta sends condolences to RI

Myanmar junta sends condolences to RI

MYANMAR: Leaders of Myanmar's ruling junta sent a message of condolence to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono over the crash of a jetliner in his country that killed 143 people, official media reported on Friday.

Junta chairman Senior Gen. Than Shwe, deputy chairman Gen. Maung Aye and Foreign Minister Nyan Win offered their sympathy to Susilo and other Indonesian officials over the loss of life and property caused by the accident, the Myanma Ahlin newspaper said.

The Mandala Airlines jetliner bound for the Indonesian capital of Jakarta crashed on Monday in the city of Medan and burst into flames.

Indonesian forensic experts say 99 passengers and crew died in the disaster, and 44 people were killed on the ground.

Myanmar's junta, which customarily sends messages of condolence following disasters abroad, has remained silent about the damage and casualties caused by Hurricane Katrina in the United States, which maintains economic sanctions against Myanmar, also known as Burma.

The party of detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi sent a message of sympathy to the American people after the hurricane, which lashed states along the Gulf of Mexico and inundated the city of New Orleans. -- AP