Myanmar plans ASEAN bash

Myanmar plans ASEAN bash

YANGON (AFP): Myanmar, a brand-new member of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations, is to hold a ceremony Friday marking
ASEAN's 30th anniversary, the official press reported yesterday.

The report was the latest in a series highlighting Myanmar's
entry into ASEAN last month and trumpeting the benefits of
membership amid public concerns over repercussions on the
country's monetary and financial system.

The English-language New Light of Myanmar quoted Lt.Gen. Khin
Nyunt as saying that Myanmar would continue modernizing "step by
step" based on the prevailing internal political and economic
system and "in cooperation with ASEAN member countries".

Khin Nyunt, powerful first secretary of the ruling junta,
officially known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council
(SLORC), acknowledged there had been criticism "both positive and
negative" surrounding Myanmar's ASEAN entry.