Suu Kyi seeking gain from consul death: Media

Suu Kyi seeking gain from consul death: Media

YANGON (Reuter): Myanmar's state newspapers accused democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday of trying to gain politically from the death in prison last month of a former honorary consul for a number of European countries.

James Leander Nichols, an unaccredited representative for Denmark, Finland, Norway and Switzerland, died in prison on June 22. Differing accounts say he died of a heart attack or stroke.

He was arrested in April and sentenced to three years in jail for operating home telephones and fax machines without permission.

The New Light of Myanmar newspaper described as a "stunt" Suu Kyi's attendance at Nichols' funeral on June 28 and said she "created a situation merely to assemble a crowd...in order to make political gain".

"The wit and scheme of the West Maidawgyi (Suu Kyi) is so good that she can derive benefit out of a funeral," it said, using a sarcastic term to refer to the 50-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner.

"The person who wants to make political gain out of a corpse is really foolish."

Diplomats and opposition sources believe Nichols was jailed because of his close links with Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

The New Light of Myanmar, calling Nichols a "bad-hat" who lived a decadent life-style and supported Suu Kyi generously, said he died of natural causes.

"No one can prevent death when a person meets his fate. No ambassadors of any kind can plead with death...It is also necessary to understand that the United Nations cannot use a veto power to stop his death," it said.

The newspaper said Nichols had been treated well in prison and enjoyed "luxury", publishing a detailed list of the food he had been brought.

"There were even persons who fanned him and massaged him and he had nothing to worry about small errands and no one punched him, because the bundle brought to him by those visiting him was rather big," the paper said.

The newspaper gave an account of how Nichols collapsed in his prison cell and was taken to the prison hospital and later to Yangon General Hospital where he died.

A member of Nichols' family said on Tuesday a memorial service was still being arranged but no date had yet been fixed.

Suu Kyi was released from prolonged house arrest one year ago today.

Meanwhile, Thai Foreign Minister Amnuay Viravan said on Monday that Southeast Asia's policy of constructive engagement with Myanmar would not be abandoned even though it may not have produced expected results,

Amnuay said Myanmar's southeast Asian neighbors needed to redouble their efforts to exert a constructive influence on Myanmar. "We believe that although ASEAN's constructive policy may be viewed by many to have not produced the kind of results that most people expect, it only means that we have to redouble our efforts, make it more constructive," he told the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on Monday.

"Certainly we are not entertaining the question of disengaging, or isolating our neighbors," he said.

The seven-member ASEAN has been criticized by Myanmar's opposition for focusing on boosting business links with Yangon while failing to nudge it towards dialogue on political reform and reconciliation with democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Myanmar is expected to become an official ASEAN observer at this month's ASEAN foreign ministerial meeting in Jakarta and is likely to become a full member of the grouping by the end of the decade.