Aung San Suu Kyi meets junta minister

Than Shwe appointed the liaison minister as an interlocutor to Aung San Suu Kyi,the detained leader on Friday, for the first time in 2010, met with government liaison minister Aung Kyi at her house, according to party leaders.After the visit of United Nations Special Envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, on the heels of September’s Saffron Revolution,Friday’s meeting is process towards democracy.The meet came a day after the NLD announced its decision to expand its CEC from 11 members to 20, a move seen by some observers as a kind of preparation for a political tug-of-war leading up to and following this year’s scheduled general election. “If the meeting today is correct, I think it is a good step for the New Year. We are hoping that it will be a positive meeting,” Ohn Kyaing iterated, adding that they welcome such meetings and hope the process will continue. Burma’s present military rulers, in power for the past two decades, have announced they are set to hold a general election in 2010, but have yet to specify any dates. The NLD, meanwhile, say they will participate in the election only if the junta agrees to first amend the 2008 constitution, release all political prisoners and permit international monitoring of the polls. Retired Major Win Naing Kyaw, Thura Kyaw a.k.a. Aung Aung Ko and a commoner Go Byan Sein a.k.a. Ah See were arrested, tried and handed death sentence plus 20 years imprisonment, death sentence plus 15 years imprisonment and 15 years imprisonment respectively by Rangoon North District court sitting inside the Insein prison. Those sentenced Burmese are active and retired government employees. Two of them are uniformed officers. It shows that military personnel and government employees continue opposing the rulers. North Korea provided technology for secret underground tunnels around the new capital Naypyidaw. Nuclear technology is also shared by Kim Jong-il. Photographs of construction are available on Internet. And North Korea ships came to Burma water. Russia promised nuclear and military hardware. It proved correct as Russia has signed a contract to deliver 20 MiG-29 fighter planes to Burma on Christmas eve. The contract is worth 400m Euros. The regime spends less than 3% of national expenditure o­n health, while the military consumes 40%. What is there from the Republic of India? The 7-member delegation headed by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam would provide US$90 million for Kaladan project, US$10 million as loan for the same project, US$7 million for Cyber Optical Link, US$1.3 million for upgrading satellite ground station in Rangoon, establishment of ICT park in Mandalay, US$3 million for on-board training, (Physical Connectivity), (Electronic Connectivity), (Knowledge Connectivity) 50 officers form e-government training, 20 PhD students, upgrading science labs in Rangoon and Mandalay Universities, establishment of Entrepreneurship Development Center etc. The political assurance from India was gratefulness to the Roadmap and the promises given on 6 March 2006. India would defend Burma at the UN, ILO and UNHRC. India kept its promise and voted for SPDC at all three assemblies.