'Tensions won't faze Myanmar's bid to join ASEAN'

'Tensions won't faze Myanmar's bid to join ASEAN'

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Myanmar Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw has
brushed aside fears that political tensions in his country will
affect its bid to join the regional grouping ASEAN, saying
Myanmar is stable and "safer than any country".

He said it was for the Association of South East Asian Nations
to judge whether Myanmar could be accepted into the regional
group, the Bernama news agency reported yesterday.

"If it is one year, then of course it will be one year (to
join ASEAN) and if two years, it will be two years," he told
reporters on arrival here on Saturday night for an Asian
ministers' meeting to discuss developing the Mekong basin.

"I don't think that the happenings in Myanmar (Burma) will
affect our chance to become a member of ASEAN," Bernama quoted
him as saying.

The Myanmar government has been cracking down on the pro-
democracy opposition led by Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu
Kyi. Last month, the government arrested 250 democracy
politicians ahead of a controversial congress of Suu Kyi's
National League for Democracy party.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Cambodia and Laos have official
observer status, which Myanmar is expected to be admitted to in
July during the Asean Ministerial Meeting in Jakarta.

"The happenings or whatever it is (in Burma) is your own
perception," Ohn Gyaw said. "Myanmar (Burma) is as stable as any
country in this region. And I can even assure that we are safer
than any country around."

Ohn Gyaw's comments came as U.S. special envoys visiting the
region to coordinate a response to Myanmar's actions warned that
events in that country could destabilize Southeast Asia.

Asked if Myanmar should exercise transparency and allow ASEAN
to play a greater peacemaking role between the military and Suu
Kyi's democracy movement, Ohn Gyaw said: "We are transparent and
ASEAN is very active and has taken a leading role (in Burma)
through the constructive engagement policy."

ASEAN has preferred so-called constructive engagement with
Myanmar to help it settle domestic problems rather than embark on
confrontational measures.

Meanwhile, in Yangon, about 10,000 Myanmarese businessmen
yesterday joined a mass rally to support official moves to open
up the economy and to denounce the opposition, which they accused
of threatening stability.

The rally was chaired by Thein Tun, vice-chairman of the
Myanmarese (Burmese) Chamber of Commerce, who told the gathering
about the government's accomplishments since it liberalized the
economy after taking power in 1988, state-run media said.

He said businessmen needed to make continued efforts to hold
on to the progress made by the ruling State Law and Order
Restoration Council (SLORC).

"All see the attempts of internal and external destructionists
working in collusion to hamper the all-round national
development," he said.

"The people will never accept the obstruction of stability,
peace and progress of the state and will never desire the
incitement to riot and attempts to create disturbances in the
country," he said.

Thein Tun, one of Myanmar's top businessmen who is chairman
and chief executive of Pepsi Myanmar, also urged the businessmen
to unite to crush destructionists.

His speech was similar to those made at other mass rallies
over the past few weeks.

Myanmarese people say they are ordered to attend the rallies,
with officials requiring at least one person per household. The
opposition says the military forces people to attend.