Myanmar community excited about Suu Kyi visit

New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS) The Myanmar community here is all agog about pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s visit to Delhi, the first by her to India in 40 years.

“Everybody is excited and happy. We only expect that good things come out of the visit and it marks a new beginning for Indo-Burmese relations,” said Alan Golmei, coordinator of the Burma Centre Delhi (BCD).

Suu Kyi will depart from Yangon Monday evening and will reach New Delhi Tuesday afternoon — amid Diwali celebrations.

Suu Kyi will return to Lady Shri Ram College, where she studied political science, to interact with students.

She will also visit The Energy and Resources Institute in Gurgaon.

On Friday, Suu Kyi will meet with members of the Myanmar community at the Prospect Burma School in Vikaspuri, west Delhi, which she helps fund.

Most people from Myanmar in Delhi (15,000) live in Vikaspuri. They are refugees, with the majority belonging to Chin state which borders India.

Golmei said there would not be much time for Suu Kyi to discuss “hard” issues with the Myanmar community. “Time is limited and hard issues won’t be discussed exhaustively.

“This visit would be mostly about renewing old ties and meeting old friends who had supported her in her years of struggle,” she added.

During her visit, the 67-year-old will also meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.

IANS 2012-11-12 21:02:10