'Myanmar road map is ASEAN concern'

'Myanmar road map is ASEAN concern'

Agence France-Presse, Bangkok

Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Wednesday he
planned to consult regional leaders further on the kingdom's
"road map" proposal for democratic reforms in neighboring
Myanmar.

"There will be more consultations on the road map. The issue
of Myanmar is both a Thai and an ASEAN concern," Thaksin told
reporters.

The military-ruled state has been intensely criticized by the
international community since it detained opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi after her supporters were mobbed by a pro-junta gang
on May 30.

But Myanmar's generals have resisted calls for the democracy
icon's release, raising concerns among its Southeast Asian
neighbors who fear the entire region will be brought into
disrepute by its intransigence.

Thailand, which is concerned about a potential flood of
illegal migrants from Myanmar as tough new U.S. sanctions bite
into its economy, has floated the "road map" as a way out of the
crisis.

Thaksin said he planned to discuss the proposal with various
leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in
the next few weeks.

"The ASEAN leaders will consult with each other. I will
discuss it with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri later
this month and with Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in our retreat
early next month, and maybe with President Gloria Arroyo," he
said.

The Indonesian president is due to make an official visit to
Thailand on August 29 and 30, while Thaksin will reportedly
travel to Singapore and the Philippines in early September.

The premier said he was hopeful that the road map, presented
earlier this month to Myanmar Foreign Minister Win Aung in
Bangkok, would be received positively.

"On the one hand Myanmar is concerned with dignity and its
sovereignty, but on the other hand, it realizes Thailand's
goodwill in trying to make Myanmar acceptable to the
international community," he said.

The premier's comments came after Thailand's Foreign Minister
Surakiart Sathirathai returned from a one-day visit to Singapore
Tuesday, during which he held talks with his Singaporean
counterpart S. Jayakumar.

Surakiart said in a statement that the two agreed ASEAN should
play a key role in pushing national reconciliation in Myanmar.
On Monday UN envoy to Myanmar Razali Ismail met with Surakiart in
the Thai capital on the plan, after which he said he would do
everything possible to persuade Myanmar to accept it.

Razali said the United Nations would work together with
Thailand on its proposal.

Most of the details of the scheme are being kept secret but it
will include an international forum to brainstorm solutions for
Myanmar.