Myanmar junta chief leaves for China

Sep 7, 2010, 6:11 GMT

Yangon - The top leader in Myanmar's ruling military junta, Senior General Than Shwe, departed Tuesday for a five-day state visit to China, one of the pariah regime's few supporters.

Than Shwe led a 34-member delegation, which left the military capital of Naypyitaw, 350 kilometres north of Yangon, aboard a special flight, officials said.

He was accompanied by Prime Minister Thein Sein and junta first secretary Thura U Shwe Mann, both of whom last month resigned their military posts to contest a general election in November, the first in Myanmar in 20 years.

In addition to diplomatic engagements, Than Shwe was scheduled to visit the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai before returning to Myanmar Saturday, sources said.

The trip was made in response to an invitation by Chinese President Hu Jintao and followed a visit to Myanmar by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in June.

Neither side provided details of any meetings scheduled during the visit, which comes amid heavy criticism of Myanmar's junta from Western democracies for allegedly rigging the upcoming polls as well as for its ongoing human rights abuses.

In New York, the non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch called on China to use Than Shwe's visit to pressure the regime in Myanmar, which is also called Burma, for a more open election on November 7.

'Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao should not embolden Burma's generals by ignoring the flawed November elections and the need for accountability,' said Sophie Richardson, the organization's acting Asia director.

International observers have criticized election rules that favour the Union Solidarity and Development Party and other pro-government parties.

The regulations also exclude democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, who is under house detention, as well as her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), which won the country's previous election in 1990 but has been prevented from taking power.

The regime has drawn additional criticism for its human rights record. Last month, several governments, including the United States, called for a high-level United Nations investigation into alleged human rights violations during the regime's suppression of the insurgency by the Karen ethnic minority.

China is one of Myanmar's few supporters in the international arena. The Asian power has repeatedly vetoed efforts by the UN Security Council to discuss the regime's human rights abuses and lack of democratic reforms. China is believed to be the largest investor in Myanmar, and bilateral trade was estimated at about 3 billion dollars last year.

Chinese state-owned companies such as PetroChina have invested heavily in Myanmar's offshore natural gas reserves, and Beijing is building a 2,000-kilometre pipeline to transport gas from the Gulf of Martaban to its Yunnan province.