[tretcheenia]

Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi arrived in Thailand late Tuesday on her first overseas trip from Myanmar in more than two decades, an AFP reporter said.

Suu Kyi, who last left the former army-ruled nation in 1988, landed in the Thai capital around 10:00 pm (1500 GMT) after the short flight from Yangon.

She is expected to meet the Thai prime minister during her stay in Bangkok and attend the World Economic Forum on East Asia and meet Myanmar migrant communities during several days in the country.

Speaking to AFP just before her departure Suu Kyi said she "didn't feel anything special'' about the landmark foreign trip.

"It's a part of my job. I'm going to stay for four or five days... I will visit one refugee camp,'' she added, without providing further details.

The democracy icon, who spent 15 of the past 22 years under house arrest, will emerge into a world transformed _ the skyscrapers and frenetic activity of Bangkok presenting a stark contrast to her home city of Yangon.

Suu Kyi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, has embraced an increasingly global role as Myanmar sheds its pariah status under a quasi-civilian government, meeting world dignitaries in Yangon and accepting overseas invites.

Foreign travel will give her greater access to a global community eager to see her in person and allow her to meet ordinary people as well as world leaders.

Fearful that she would never be allowed to return, Suu Kyi refused to travel abroad in the past, even when the former junta denied her dying husband a visa to visit her from Britain.

[tretcheenia]

Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday voiced concerns over the costly process of nationality verification (NV) for Myanmar migrant workers.

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Let’s hear it for the workers
Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi meets Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung, far right, at Government House yesterday to discuss the status of Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand.

She also brought up the plight of one million non-registered migrants with senior officials.

Mrs Suu Kyi, leader of the Myanmar's opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), raised the issues during her talks with Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung.

The two politicians also discussed collaboration in suppressing the drugs trade, officials said.

Mr Chalerm pledged the government will do its best to provide Myanmar migrant workers with the same level of welfare as it does for Thai workers.

After her discussion with Mr Chalerm, Mrs Suu Kyi travelled to Samut Sakhon again to visit the NV centre in the province, home to about 400,000 migrants. Just as on her first trip to the province on Wednesday, the Nobel laureate was greeted by thousands of workers who queued up for hours before her arrival.

She shook hands with some of them, drawing cheers from the crowd.

Among those who had gathered to greet Mrs Suu Kyi was a 35-year-old worker at an ice mill in Rangsit who is from Karen state inside Myanmar.

He said he paid 5,000 baht to get registered and obtain a purple passport, which enables him to live and work in Thailand legally, even though the cost of the passport is actually 550 baht.

He said all migrant workers had to pay several times the real cost of passport and registration to brokers.

The crowds sang the Myanmar national anthem and chanted ''Me Suu (Mother Suu)'' and ''Let Suu Kyi Live Together with the Myanmar People'' before Mrs Suu Kyi went on to the balcony of the centre to deliver a 20-minute speech to a euphoric audience.

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She told the crowd about appeals by activist groups in Thailand who pleaded with her to help foster democracy inside Myanmar so that exiles and migrant workers could return to their homeland.

''Don't return home just yet, I will first try to resolve problems at home. Our home will not escape to anywhere, Myanmar is still here,'' Mrs Suu Kyi told the crowd.

''I don't know how long it will take, but I'll do my best to help you return.''

She told workers that she knew about how brokers took advantage of workers in helping them to get registered and find work in Thailand, and she pledged to take care of the issue so that workers would not have to continue to pay unnecessarily high prices.

''I hope you will be happy during your stay here and do not quarrel. Think as if you are in your home here, and we will be well. Don't create any disputes,'' she said in her final words.

Samut Sakhon governor Junlaphat Sangchan pledged to Mrs Suu Kyi that he would try to end the exploitation of workers by brokers and employers.

Watchara Waewdum, a member of the Committee on Foreign Labour Administration, said Mrs Suu Kyi was concerned that the registration and NV process was too complicated for uneducated migrant workers, who then become easy prey for brokers.

Mr Watchara said the committee will propose that the cabinet set up a working group to study social security payments for migrant workers.

MP Anussorn Kraiwatnussorn told Mrs Suu Kyi that he would propose the Labour Ministry follow the Samut Sakhon model by expanding the registration and NV process so that illegal workers could be legalised.

Meanwhile, Tak governor Suriya Prasartbundit said authorities are increasing security for Mrs Suu Kyi's visit to Mae La camp in Tha Song Yang district. She is expected to have lunch at the camp and meet migrant workers.

The governor said that while it is too early to discuss the repatriation of Karen refugees, he expects the process to be initiated as soon as security and stability within Myanmar is achieved.

[Ikhqgvas]

Based on my viewing the video on Channel News Asia, she is an excellent speaker.

[tretcheenia]

Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi sent a clear message to investors interested in her country as it begins to open up to the world - be transparent and think deeply about its people.

In her first public speech outside her home country in 24 years at the World Economic Forum on East Asia yesterday, Mrs Suu Kyi, who took the stage to a standing ovation from participants from around the world, called for an economic reform that will improve the living conditions of Myanmar people in general, not any particular groups or individuals.

"I am not here to tell you what to do. I am here to tell you what we need," said the charismatic opposition leader who spent 15 out of the past 22 years under house arrest before getting elected to parliament last month.

"We need capacity from the ground up. Please don't think about benefits for investors. I understand investors invest because they hope to profit from ventures, but we also hope our country must benefit as much as those who come to invest."

Mrs Suu Kyi, 66, said economic reform must not engender greater inequalities and breed corruption, nor should it bring more privilege to those already privileged.

What the reform should mean, simply, is jobs, as many jobs as possible, Mrs Suu Kyi said.

She ranked job creation as an immensely important task; one that sits high on her priority list.

The proportion of young people unemployed in Burma is extremely high. It is a "time bomb", she said.

"It's not so much joblessness as hopelessness," she said. "Many youths have already followed the wrong path - gambling, alcohol and drugs. If this goes on, we won't be able to reform them or reform the country."

There is no point in coming up with an ambitious reform strategy when there is a great lack of people who can carry out measures proposed by the government, she said.

"We need basic education in Burma, the kind of education that will enable people to earn a decent living for themselves. Vocational training and non-formal education means much more than doctoral programmes," she said, adding that while others may think about national prestige, she thinks of national workability.

According to the leader of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), the reason there are so many Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand is simple: there is nothing for them to go home to.

"It is very touching to meet the migrant workers here and see how they long to go home," Mrs Suu Kyi said during a press briefing after the address.

There are about 2 million Myanmar workers in Thailand, up to 60% of them unregistered and thus ineligible for the 300-baht minimum wage and healthcare.

Mrs Suu Kyi made two trips to "Little Myanmar", an area in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon, about one hour from Bangkok where the largest community of migrants - estimated at 400,000 - is located.

She told thousands of labourers who gathered to meet her on Wednesday that she would develop their country so they could return home and apply their skills and knowledge to make it prosper.

Mrs Suu Kyi is scheduled to visit displaced Myanmar people at a camp near the border in Tak today.

The iconic opposition leader also urged the international community to exercise "healthy scepticism" when it comes to investment in her country which has made quick steps towards democratic reform after more than 50 years of military rule.

She warned would-be investors that even the best investment law would be no use when there is no court clean enough to administer the law justly.

"There is an urgent need for judicial reform. Not many in the government seem to agree with this," she said.

When asked if the reform is irreversible, she said it depends on how committed the military is to the process.

She urged the international community to be transparent not only with investment but with aid also. The US$50 billion deep-sea port project undertaken by Thailand's Italian-Thai Development construction company at Dawei is one example.

"The reason we have problems with Dawei [a group has protested against the planned coal-fired power plant] is people were kept in the dark. They did not know something was happening and by the time they knew, they could do nothing about it," she said.

On a lighter side, Mrs Suu Kyi noted that while on her flight to Bangkok on Tuesday, the captain invited her to sit in the cockpit. She said the scene was considerably different from the Myanmar she had just left, where people were protesting against electricity cuts.

"What went through my mind was: we need an energy policy," she said.

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Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday urged theMyanmar government to carry out judicial reforms to cement recent political progressand foster clean investment in the country. Shewas speaking at theWorld Economic Forum on East Asia yesterday.

[tretcheenia]

THASONGYANG, TAK Aung San Suu Kyi made a pledge to thousands of refugees at a border camp that they would not be forgotten, but added that peace and prosperity must be established in Myanmar before they can return home.

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OFFERING HOPE: Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi talks to refugees during her visit to Mae La refugee camp near the Thai-Myanmar border in Tak’s Mae Sot district yesterday.

The leader of the opposition National League for Democracy toured Mae La camp 10km from the border after confusion over her schedule, which saw her leading a motorcade through the camp and waving to the crowds but not officially addressing them at an open field as had been planned.

Ethnic leaders and health workers were also disappointed that they missed the opportunity to meet the democracy icon, who visited a health clinic at the camp.

''I would like them to understand that we are not going to forget and that we will do everything possible to make their situation better,'' Mrs Suu Kyi said after her tour.

Asked if the refugees wanted to return home, she said the main prerequisite was peace and improving the economic situation in Myanmar so there were enough jobs for them.

''I don't think we need to return the refugees overnight,'' she said.

''Because if the situation was right, refugees would go back of their own free will.''

She said young refugees should also look at what they can contribute to improve country if they were to return home.

''I'm old fashioned. I believe in duty and would like the young people to foster a sense of duty,'' she said.

Naign Aung, from the Forum for Democracy in Burma, said that a dozen ethnic leaders, including David Thakarbaw, from the Karen National Union, had shown up at the camp, hoping to meet Mrs Suu Kyi.

''Certainly, it was regrettable that the Thai authorities did not allow us to meet her. We just wanted to tell her how important it was that democracy exile groups and ethnic exiles work in solidarity with her towards democratisation in Myanmar,'' Naign Aung said.

He also said the exile community had doubted whether Myanmar and Thai authorities would allow her to meet with the dissidents.

''The last-minute cancellation has confirmed our suspicion about the Burmese government that they did not want to give her a free hand,'' he said.

Mrs Suu Kyi backed the ongoing peace negotiations between ethnic groups and the Myanmar government. ''Of course, peace talks have to be conducted because peace or the lack of it is the main reason why there are refugees,'' she said.

[houkbsdov]

i think she will be calling on president joetys at his palace in Poseidon.