Five Irish people who were in Burma during the recent military crackdown are safe, Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern confirmed today.
Diplomats have been working with the International Red Cross to locate the Irish nationals. One of two expatriates living in Burma had left Ireland three years ago to become a Buddhist nun in the junta-controlled country.
Her family had become worried about her safety when the military began rounding up Buddhist monks who were driving the demonstrations.
The three others are understood to be backpackers who were travelling through Burma as part of a trip in southeast Asia.
Minister Dermot Ahern
As the State does not recognise the Burmese military rulers, Foreign Affairs officials had to work through the aid agency Red Cross to find the Irish nationals.
Mr Ahern confirmed that all five were safe after talks in Dublin with Burma's Prime Minister in exile Dr Sein Win.
The Minister told the exiled leader that Ireland supported a number of moves proposed against the Burmese junta including sanctions and the appointment of an EU envoy.
"Similarly I have also said that Ireland is to the fore in pushing for further targeted sanctions in order to put pressure on the military authorities to engage in a democratic way with the opposition and civil society in Burma. At the moment they are not," he said.
Dr Sein Win, a cousin of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi who has been under house arrest for 12 of the last 18 years, said he appreciated the Irish Government's help.
"This is our second time this year to visit Ireland, and the Irish people are very close to ours, even from the 30s, we all look to Ireland," he said.