Indian PM to 'meet Aung San Suu Kyi' in Myanmar

MYANMAR: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will meet pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi next week during the first visit by an Indian premier to Myanmar in a quarter of a century, her party said Friday.

India has faced international criticism in the past for its engagement with Myanmar's former junta, and Singh's meeting with the veteran activist is seen as a sign that Delhi wants to reaffirm ties with the democracy activist.

Nyan Win, a spokesman for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), said the talks would take place on Tuesday, pushing back plans for the Nobel laureate to visit Bangkok in her first foreign trip in 24 years.

“She will fly to Thailand to attend the World Economic Forum (on East Asia) on Tuesday evening,” he told AFP without giving further details.

Singh will also meet President Thein Sein, who is credited with instigating a series of political reforms in the country formerly known as Burma, on Monday in the capital Naypyidaw, according to Myanmar government officials.

AFP