Cameron’s links with Aung San Suu Kyi
En route to Burma with David Cameron. The Burma trip will be the first by a British Prime Minister ever, according to FCO archivists who have been tasked with scouring the records. It’ll be the first by a sitting Western head of government since the military took control in 1962.
There is a meeting with President Thein Sein at which David Cameron can look into the man’s eyes – albeit fleetingly – and judge for himself what Aung San Suu Kyi has clearly judged for herself: namely that he is serious and his reform programme is on a track that will not be reversed.
There is no doubt that ASSK is driving the effort to relax sanctions against the regime and no doubt too that there are figures in the regime who don’t like the direction of travel, fellow rights campaigners who would prefer the pressure kept on.
David Cameron seems dead set on throwing his lot in with ASSK and the EU sanctions could be suspended as soon as 24th April at the Foreign Ministers’ meeting.
Old Burma human rights hands tell me the long marchers feel a bit weary about some Johnny come lately types who have, of late, been piling in from the world over to have their photo op in the house by the lake.
No.10 says David Cameron does not fit this category and has been passionate about the issue since at least 2005 when he became Party leader and probably before.
A search through every press release issued by the Tory Party since David Cameron became leader suggests that the first public words he delivered on the subject might be on 14th May 2009 when he issued a Conservative Party press release saying:
“We are shocked by the news that Aung San Suu Kyi and her doctor have been transferred to Insein Prison and by reports that she is being denied the medical treatment she desperately needs.”
One man in the PM’s party does have a connection going a long way back with Burma and that is David Cameron’s Chief of Staff, Ed Llewellyn, who back in the 1990’s worked for Lord (then plain Chris) Patten in Hong Kong and developed links with ASSK.
The entourage of business people, advisers and reporters is being warned that it is Water Festival day in Burma and we are likely to have a lot of water thrown over us… the tradition is to look calm and grateful, we’ve been advised.
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