UN chief arrives in Burma for talks

The UN secretary-general said he planned to lobby Burma’s junta chief directly today for the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, acknowledging that his high-profile mission will be “very difficult”.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Burma for meetings with leaders on the same day that Ms Suu Kyi’s widely criticised trial resumes.

The UN chief’s visit magnifies the international spotlight on the trial, which has been delayed for a month but is expected to wrap up quickly after a final defence witness takes the stand today.

If Mr Ban is allowed to meet with Ms Suu Kyi, he will be the first UN secretary-general to do so since her first period of detention started in 1989.

UN spokeswoman Michele Montas said earlier this week that Mr Ban will push to personally meet her.

The 64-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner is charged with violating the terms of her house arrest when an uninvited American man swam secretly to her lakeside home and stayed for two days. She has pleaded not guilty but faces five years in prison if convicted.

The trial has prompted an outpouring of outrage from world leaders, Hollywood celebrities, Nobel laureates and human rights groups who say the junta is using the bizarre incident as an excuse to keep Ms Suu Kyi behind bars through to elections scheduled for 2010.

Ms Suu Kyi has been in detention for more than 13 of the last 19 years.

Mr Ban was escorted by police motorcade into Rangoon, the commercial capital, after his arrival.

He was scheduled to fly later in the day to Naypyitaw, the remote administrative capital, for talks with the country’s leaders, including a one-hour session with the junta chief, Senior General Than Shwe.

“I’m going to argue for the release of all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi,” Mr Ban told reporters late yesterday in Singapore, adding that he plans to “raise her case directly” with Sen Gen Than Shwe. Mr Ban is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister General Thein Sein.

“This is going to be, I know, a very difficult mission. But at the same time I know that to bring changes to Burma, political conciliation and democratisation, we need to do our best,” Mr Ban said.

He also said he would “convey the concerns of the international community, about the slow pace of political conciliation and democratisation process”.