Aung San Suu Kyi voiced guarded hope Friday that democracy will come to Myanmar as the opposition leader warmly welcomed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the home that was her prison for years. In scenes unthinkable before Myanmar’s recent reforms, Suu Kyi took Clinton by the arm and escorted her through the garden of her crumbling lakeside villa in the commercial hub Yangon where she was locked up until a year ago.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner said she supported Clinton’s trip a day earlier to Myanmar’s remote capital Naypyidaw and believed the nation earlier known as Burma had reached a “historic moment”. “I am very confident that if we work together… there will be no turning back from the road to democracy,” Suu Kyi said next to a beaming Clinton on a back porch surrounded by potted plants. More needed to be done by the new military-backed government, “but we hope to get there as soon as possible”, Suu Kyi added.
Clinton, who is the first US secretary of state to visit Myanmar in more than 50 years, nodded in agreement and said she saw “openings” during her three-day trip that “give us some grounds for encouragement”. The wife of former president Bill Clinton has spent decades hobnobbing with the world’s most powerful but was visibly excited to meet Suu Kyi, repeatedly embracing the democracy champion and kissing her on the cheeks. Clinton and Suu Kyi, two of the world’s most prominent women, also met away from aides for an expansive dinner Thursday night at the US diplomatic mission whose chef prepared foods especially chosen to please Suu Kyi. Clinton’s aides said she even brought from the United States a chewy toy for Suu Kyi’s small but energetic dog. Suu Kyi nonetheless gave Clinton a friendly warning that her dog was sometimes aggressive towards strangers. Clinton on Thursday hand-delivered a personal letter from President Barack Obama that thanked Suu Kyi for her “inspiration” to people around the world and said the United States would stand by her “now and always”.
Despite the warm atmosphere at their meetings, Clinton and Suu Kyi both warned of serious worries in Myanmar. Activists say anywhere from hundreds to more than 1,500 political prisoners remain jailed and that rape and forced labour remain common in ethnic enclaves torn by decades of war. “All hostilities must cease within this country as soon as possible,” Suu Kyi said. Suu Kyi repeatedly urged the rule of law, demanding that all political prisoners be released and “that no more are arrested in the future for their beliefs”.
Wrapping up her visit, the top US diplomat announced $1.2 million in new aid aimed at civil society to support microfinance, healthcare and help for the victims of landmines in the war-torn country. Clinton said she told the country’s leaders that the United States was assessing progress by the new leadership before it considers ending sanctions. “We will match action for action, and if there is enough progress, obviously we will be considering lifting sanctions,” Clinton said, but added: “We are still at the very early stages of this dialogue.”
Suu Kyi raises hopes in landmark Clinton visit
