Neighbours put brave face on after shake-up

Southeast Asia, defenders of Myanmar’s democracy roadmap, put on a brave face on Wednesday after Junta hardliners dashed hopes for refo...

Southeast Asia, defenders of Myanmar’s democracy roadmap, put on a brave face on Wednesday after Junta hardliners dashed hopes for reform and once again embarrassed their frustrated neighbours.

The ousting of Prime Minister Khin Nyunt dealt a severe blow to efforts to cajole Yangon into reforms before it heads the Asean group in 2006, a thorny issue in the region’s relations with the West, analysts said.

But the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) avoided direct criticism of events in the former Burma, though some analysts questioned whether Myanmar would take its scheduled turn as Asean chairman. ‘‘It’s an internal matter for Myanmar, but we hope that the appointment of a new Prime Minister won’t have a negative impact to the prospects for democratisation and reconciliation,’’ Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said.

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He held out little hope for democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi’s release from house arrest anytime soon. ‘‘We were hoping that, under Prime Minister Khin Nyunt, Aung San Suu Kyi would be released. It didn’t happen. Perhaps, now we have much less hope that she would be released,’’ he said.

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Prime Minister of Malaysia, which shepherded Myanmar into Asean IN 1997, said he was looking for a signal that the roadmap was still on track. ‘‘All that we hope to see is that the scheduled development or the roadmap to democracy, which Myanmar had been talking about and explaining to us and to other Asean partners will be carried out and not be adversely affected,’’ Abdullah said. —Reuters