Myanmar protesters hold up a placards calling for the release of detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu KyiThursday, August 13, 2009
AFP
BANGKOK — Democratic Senator Jim Webb is due to meet Myanmar supremo Than Shwe later this week in the first-ever encounter between a senior US official and the junta strongman, Webb's office said Thursday.
The visit by Webb, who is close to US President Barack Obama, comes after the Than Shwe regime was assailed by international outrage for extending democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest for another 18 months.
"Later this week, US Senator Jim Webb is scheduled to meet with leaders at the highest levels of the national government in Burma (Myanmar), including Senior General Than Shwe," a statement from Webb's office said.
"If the Shwe meeting takes place it will be the first time that a senior American official has ever met with Burma's top leader," it said, noting also that no member of Congress has visited Myanmar in over a decade.
The only time Than Shwe, who assumed power in 1992, has met a US official is believed to have been when William Berger, head of a US disaster assistance team, delivered a planeload of aid to Yangon after Cyclone Nargis in May 2008.
Webb, who arrived in Laos Thursday to kick off a two-week tour of Southeast Asia, is scheduled to visit Myanmar this weekend.
"It is vitally important that the United States re-engage with Southeast Asia at all levels," Webb said in another statement announcing his arrival in the Lao capital Vientiane, where he was due to hold a press briefing Thursday.
Also convicted along with Suu Kyi was US man John Yettaw, who triggered her latest trial with a bizarre incident in May when he swam to her lakeside house in Yangon.
The 54-year-old US military veteran, who is epileptic and diabetic, was sentenced to seven years of hard labour and imprisonment.
Obama demanded Yettaw's immediate release, along with Suu Kyi's and that of thousands of political prisoners held in Myanmar's notorious jails ahead of elections scheduled for next year.
Webb -- a hard-nosed Vietnam War veteran who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific affairs -- was also to visit Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia over his two-week tour.
The senator, a former Republican defence official who has authored military works, was seen as a potential vice presidential pick for Obama during last year's US election campaign but was quick to rule himself out of the running.
The visit by Webb, who is close to US President Barack Obama, comes after the Than Shwe regime was assailed by international outrage for extending democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest for another 18 months.
"Later this week, US Senator Jim Webb is scheduled to meet with leaders at the highest levels of the national government in Burma (Myanmar), including Senior General Than Shwe," a statement from Webb's office said.
"If the Shwe meeting takes place it will be the first time that a senior American official has ever met with Burma's top leader," it said, noting also that no member of Congress has visited Myanmar in over a decade.
The only time Than Shwe, who assumed power in 1992, has met a US official is believed to have been when William Berger, head of a US disaster assistance team, delivered a planeload of aid to Yangon after Cyclone Nargis in May 2008.
Webb, who arrived in Laos Thursday to kick off a two-week tour of Southeast Asia, is scheduled to visit Myanmar this weekend.
"It is vitally important that the United States re-engage with Southeast Asia at all levels," Webb said in another statement announcing his arrival in the Lao capital Vientiane, where he was due to hold a press briefing Thursday.
Also convicted along with Suu Kyi was US man John Yettaw, who triggered her latest trial with a bizarre incident in May when he swam to her lakeside house in Yangon.
The 54-year-old US military veteran, who is epileptic and diabetic, was sentenced to seven years of hard labour and imprisonment.
Obama demanded Yettaw's immediate release, along with Suu Kyi's and that of thousands of political prisoners held in Myanmar's notorious jails ahead of elections scheduled for next year.
Webb -- a hard-nosed Vietnam War veteran who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific affairs -- was also to visit Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia over his two-week tour.
The senator, a former Republican defence official who has authored military works, was seen as a potential vice presidential pick for Obama during last year's US election campaign but was quick to rule himself out of the running.
5 comments:
Jim Web was a Republican but for some reasons he divorced his American wife, then he married a Vietnamese woman who worked with him. They both're lawyers. Web then made a statement he left Rep with a bunch of BS reasons.
Why is he in SEA? Because his Vietnamese wife and a few Vietnamese PhD are angry with China's Dam. Hopefully Cambodian governmnet knows about his trip to SEA with Vietnamese behind.
Jim Webb will run for President in 2012, and his Vietnamese wife named Hong Lee. She must be real good in bed to make Jim Webb to divorce his American wife.
A lot Vietnamese woman married to powerful men in west, how about Khmer girls?
if I am Mr. 11.42 am I would not ask or wonder whether Khmer girl married to high ranking US official. The Cambodia tradition do not use beautiful girl like Vietnam does.
I would leave the choice to Khmer girl
Khmer culture are backward, they never taught their daughters to be spies like Israel women, or Chinese woman or Vietnamese women. Khmer women taught their daughters to be men's slaves that's all.
But I saw there're few Khmer girls are darn good in persuading political leaders, jus that we don't know about.
myanmar is such a beautiful southeast asian country and larger in size than most southeast asian nations with local population whose culture, customs, etiquette, tradition, etc is very similar to that of cambodia's should open up and embrace the world and the west. their beautiful country and people deserve better. please stop being isolated for too long. open up to th world and establish direct flight to cambodia. i think myanmar is a very beautiful country like that of cambodia's. study the map and you'll see what i mean!
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