BURMA:Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's detained Nobel Prize-winning democracy advocate, held talks yesterday with a senior member of the ruling junta as the military regime sought to deflect criticism of their crackdown on Buddhist monks and civilian protesters last month.
Ms Suu Kyi, who has spent 12 of the past 18 years under house arrest, was taken from her villa to a government guest house to meet Aung Gyi, who was recently appointed "minister for relations" to handle the junta's contacts with their most famous political prisoner.
State television - which announced the meeting on evening news and showed images of the two chatting - offered no details of the substance of the hour-long discussion.
Ms Suu Kyi, the daughter of Burma's independence hero Gen Aung San and the living embodiment of Burmese aspirations for a better life, led her National League for Democracy to a landslide election victory in 1990, but was barred from taking power.
Aung Gyi, who was promoted this week to labour minister, is a trusted member of the regime, who recently handled its negotiations with the International Labour Organisation on combating forced labour.
Previous attempts to foster a political dialogue between Ms Suu Kyi and the generals have floundered, with Gen Than Shwe, the junta chief, reportedly overriding at least one deal agreed by his subordinates in 2004.
But the Burmese military's forceful crackdown on pro-democracy protesters last month sparked widespread international condemnation. The regime acknowledged killing 10 people in the crackdown, though diplomats believe the true casualty figure is far higher.
After the crackdown, Gen Than Shwe, who is known to personally loathe Ms Suu Kyi, made a conditional offer to hold talks with her if she gave up her public support for sanctions.
Many critics remain sceptical of the regime's commitment to talks, suggesting the offer was merely a sop to appease international anger. But Nyo Ohn Myint, an exiled member of Ms Suu Kyi's National League of Democracy, said top junta leaders were also feeling pressure from subordinate officers unhappy at their management of the country and violent action against the monks.
"They are very aware that the lower ranks, and middle-ranking officers are very, very upset with what the real top leaders have been doing," he said.