The junta's choice to liaise with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is a moderate general with a good track record of dealing with UN agencies, analysts said yesterday.
State media announced late on Monday that deputy labor minister Aung Kyi had been tasked with ensuring "smooth relations" with the Nobel Peace Prize winner, who has spent most of the last 18 years under house arrest.
In a government dominated by reclusive hardliners, Major General Aung Kyi is one of the few willing to work with the UN and neighboring countries to improve the nation's standing, analysts said.
"He is very reasonable and has dealt with international organizations before," Thailand-based Myanmar analyst Win Min said.
"It's a good sign that they intend to communicate with her directly," Win Min said. "He's not just a messenger, he can be a really dynamic guy."
But there were also warnings that the appointment could be another effort to cool mounting pressure at the UN Security Council, which is considering a statement condemning the regime's deadly crackdown on peaceful protesters.
"We must remain cautious," said one Western diplomat who has had extensive dealings with the regime, warning that no one knows how much authority the general has been given.
"Is there anything serious behind this? Will he be able to operate freely?" the diplomat said.
Nonetheless, Aung Kyi has a reputation as an intelligent, moderate general who understands the workings of the outside world, he said.
When the UN's International Labor Organization (ILO) last year threatened to haul Myanmar before the International Court of Justice over forced labor complaints, the junta brought in Aung Kyi to defuse the situation.
He was named deputy labor minister in November and by March the regime had reached a deal with the ILO to launch a new system for handling complaints of forced labor.
"We have found him constructive and professional and open to discussing all matters, also controversial issues," ILO executive director Kari Tapiola said in an e-mail interview.
"Aung Kyi obviously is also politically well connected. Although he is deputy minister, he seems to report directly to the senior leadership," Tapiola said.
Aung Kyi's tactics were a dramatic shift toward diplomacy, rather than heavy-handed intimidation that had been used in Yangon, where the ILO officer had previously received death threats.
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
NOT IMMEDIATE: Taiwan has a chance to appeal the proposed 10 percent tariff before it starts, while other countries face a 12.5 percent tariff from the trade office Taiwan is among 60 economies determined by the US to have failed to impose or enforce a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labor, according to a notice released on Tuesday by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), which proposed imposing an additional 10 percent or more tariff on them. The USTR in a statement said that following an investigation, it had determined under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 that the failure of the 60 economies to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is
TIT-FOR-TAT: The US allegedly revoked the visa of a Chinese national working at Xinhua News Agency in the US in response to Beijing’s expulsion of Vivian Wang The Presidential Office yesterday condemned China for expelling a New York Times correspondent from Beijing following the newspaper’s interview with President William Lai (賴清德), saying the move highlighted Beijing’s suppression of press freedom and its threat to international news media. Taiwan has noted a series of recent incidents in which Beijing used similar tactics to “threaten and pressure international media outlets and journalists,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in a statement. “This concerns not only press freedom and freedom of expression, but also the safety of journalists, and Taiwan and relevant partners are paying close attention to the situation,” she
RSS