APSN | Uprising unwise, cautions Suu Kyi

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Uprising unwise, cautions Suu Kyi

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Lindsay Murdoch, Bangkok – Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has warned against an "Arab-style" uprising in Burma and praised signs of "positive developments" by her country's military-dominated government.

"There's still quite a way to go but I think there have been positive developments," Ms Suu Kyi said in Rangoon, amid speculation the country's Foreign Minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, will announce further reforms during the UN General Assembly in New York this week.

Ms Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy was denied power after winning elections in 1990, said revolutions such as the one in Libya will drag on for years and create many problems.

"The kind of changes that we want [will] take time to come about... and I would rather that we managed to achieve change through peaceful means, through negotiation," she told Agence France-Presse.

Ms Suu Kyi has said little publicly about talks she held recently with Burma's leaders, including President Thein Sein, a former general, but her latest comments have raised hopes the government is sincere about implementing genuine political reforms after almost half a century of military rule.

"We do have many, many things in common in regards to what we would like to see for the country," said Ms Suu Kyi, who has spent almost 15 of the past 21 years under house arrest.

Many foreign diplomats and human rights groups are sceptical about the government's intentions after generals have reneged on past promises. The government is seeking to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2014 and wants economic sanctions lifted.

It has lifted bans on websites and allowed more foreigners, including a small group of journalists, to visit.

Rights groups say Burma's military has this year intensified attacks and abuses on ethnic groups in the country's border areas, forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes.

Last week a Rangoon court sentenced a 21-year-old Burmese photographer to 18 years' jail for taking a photo of the aftermath of a 2010 bomb.

Although 66-year-old Ms Suu Kyi is closely watched by plain-clothed agents who photograph her visitors, the government is allowing her to speak publicly, including a rousing speech last week to mark the International Day of Democracy. Asked about her political ambitions, Ms Suu Kyi said it was too soon to say whether she would contest the country's next elections that are due in 2015.