Myanmar says Suu Kyi party must apologize for sanctions

Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi addresses the crowd during a ceremony to mark the country's 63rd Independence Day at the National League for Democracy (NLD) head office in Yangon January 4, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Soe Zeya Tun

(Reuters) - Myanmar's military rulers called on Saturday for the party of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to apologize to the public for backing Western sanctions it said were restricting the country's development.


A commentary carried in three state-controlled newspapers said the National League for Democracy (NLD) party "have to mend their ways, begging public pardon for the acts they have breached in their interests, at the expense of that of the nation."

The comments followed a warning in last week's dailies that Suu Kyi would face "a tragic end" and suggest the army junta has not softened its stance toward the Nobel Peace laureate, despite releasing her from seven years of house arrest in November.

Suu Kyi last week said she saw no reason to lift sanctions at present and called for dialogue on the issue, although she did not say with whom talks should be held.

Suu Kyi has backed sanctions as a means to isolate the regime but has shown a more flexible approach in recent weeks. Analysts believe she is using her influence on the West as leverage to coax the reclusive generals toward reforms, but their latest rebuke suggests they are still unwilling to cooperate.

Myanmar held elections in November, the first in two decades, but the polls were largely dismissed and seen internationally as a stunt to create a facade of democracy behind continued authoritarian rule by the same regime.

RESTRICTING DEVELOPMENT

It is on a drive to attract investment in infrastructure, tourism, energy, gemstones and banking and has recently passed new investment laws and privatized hundreds of state assets. It has told its Asian allies they are at an advantage because of "unfavorable" Western sanctions.

But Saturday's newspapers suggested Myanmar also wanted to open up to the rest of the world. The secretive regime is critical of sanctions but has not directly called for them to be lifted and rarely engages with the West.

"Myanmar has opened the door to a market economy, but the drive is not much satisfactory due to the sanctions," said the commentary entitled "High time to take strides to national goals without economic sanctions."

It said the NLD was wrong to say the regime's mismanagement, not sanctions, were hurting the people and it was its responsibility to fix a problem it had created.

Without "the axe-handles (that) had demanded economic sanctions, our country would have enjoyed far greater development than that at present," it said.

The reclusive rulers rarely speak to the media or issue statements, preferring to use government newspapers as mouthpieces to convey their views.

Many critics say it is time for sanctions to be reviewed, or eased, arguing that continued investment from China, Thailand, India and other Asian nations -- particularly in energy -- is enriching the regime at the expense of the public, about a third of which live beneath the poverty line.

The hugely popular NLD, which won the 1990 election, the result of which the army ignored, refused to take part in the November poll and has no official role in Myanmar's new civilianized parliamentary system, which is dominated by the military and its civilian cronies.

(Reporting by Aung Hla Tun; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Andrew Marshall)

Source:http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/19/us-myanmar-sanctions-idUSTRE71I0TY20110219