No turning back of democratic reform in Myanmar, minister says

Jan 25, 2012, 13:44 GMT

New Delhi - There would be no turning back in the process of democratic reforms of Myanmar, visiting Foreign Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin said in New Delhi on Wednesday.

'The reform process that we have started is irreversible. There will be no turning back or derailment in the road to democracy,' Maung Lwin was quoted as saying by IANS news agency while delivering a lecture organised by the India's Ministry for External Affairs.

The international community should provide encouragement and support at this crucial time in Myanmar's transition to democracy, Maung Lwin told the gathering of former diplomats and strategic analysts.

'We are willing and ready to work hand-in-hand with the international community in our nation-building endeavours as well as for the development, peace and stability of the world,' Maung Lwin, who is on a five-day visit to India, said.

'Our transition to democracy is indeed not without challenges. We are prepared and resolute to overcome all these challenges and continue our endeavour until we achieve our stated goal,' Lwin said.

Myanmar President Thein Sein's government assumed office in March 2011 after the first democratic elections in two decades in Myanmar in November 2010.

The opposition, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, has since joined the democratic process and is preparing to contest the by-elections to the Myanmarese Parliament in April.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party had boycotted the 2010 election that saw the military-backed civilian administration of Thein Sein replace the junta.

The NLD is expected to contest more than 40 seats in the April by-election.