Suu Kyi, Grace Fu reaffirm friendship between Myanmar, S’pore

SINGAPORE — Arriving yesterday to much fanfare — about 200 Myanmar nationals waited for hours to welcome her at the airport — Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi kicked off her inaugural visit to the Republic with a meeting with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Grace Fu during which they exchanged views on domestic developments in Myanmar.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said Ms Fu “reaffirmed the long-standing friendship between Singapore and Myanmar, and conveyed our continued commitment to support Myanmar’s economic and social development”.

Ms Suu Kyi shared with Ms Fu her work as a Member of Parliament and her thoughts “on the challenges faced by the Myanmar people in this critical period of transition”, the MFA added.

Writing on Facebook, Ms Fu said: “We had a good discussion about the current situation in her country and her priorities. She spoke with conviction about her hopes for the country and the people.”

Ms Suu Kyi also received a briefing from the Economic Development Board on its role in creating a conducive business environment to attract foreign investments here.

She also attended the Singapore Summit Welcome Dinner, at which Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered a keynote address.

Separately, Mr Lee said at a meeting with a group of journalists from ASEAN nations that he believes Ms Suu Kyi will be “a capable leader of her country” if she is elected in the 2015 general election in Myanmar.

He made the point in response to a question from a journalist from Myanmar about how he felt the rest of ASEAN would feel about a government led by Ms Suu Kyi, who has declared her intention to run for President in the next elections.

Mr Lee added: “We work with whichever is the legitimate government of the country ... between countries, we accept one another whatever the political process domestically produces.”

On Myanmar’s development, Mr Lee noted that the country is making up for lost time.

“It is not something you can do overnight. But I believe it is something which your leaders are very focused on and want to happen,” he said.

During her four-day visit, which is also her first bilateral visit to an ASEAN country since she was released from house arrest three years ago, Ms Suu Kyi will be meeting Singapore leaders, including Mr Lee, President Tony Tan and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

Tomorrow, she will meet around 3,000 of her fellow countrymen, who are living and working here, at an event organised by the Myanmar Club in Singapore.