NE insurgents may take advantage of Myanmar situation : PM

On Board PM's Special Aircraft, Nov 20 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said insurgents in the Northeast may take advantage of the volatile political situation in Myanmar.

Dr Singh expressed the hope that the ''process of reconciliation'' involving the military junta and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi would help in establishing a lasting peace in the hermit nation.

''Myanmar is our neighbour and what goes in that country is of interest to us. A number of insurgent groups are operating in the North-East. These groups may take advanatge of the instability in Myanmar,'' he said while talking to reporters on board on his special aircraft on way to Singapore for the India-ASEAN summit and East Asia meet.

The US and other western countries feel that India and China were taking a ''soft'' position towards Myanmar. The latest political situation in Myanmar would come up for extensive discussion between Dr Manmohan Singh and Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein on the fringes of the Indo-ASEAN summit.

The Prime Minister supported the UN efforts to resolve the Myanmar crisis. ''We support the role of the UN in facilitating the reconciliation dialogue between the government and Ms Aung Suu Kyi and hope that it would achieve a satisfactory outcome.'' External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had met Foreign Minister of Myanmar U Nyan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. During that meeting, Mr Mukherjee reiterated that India was in favour of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Myanmar. He had also suggested the military junta to order an inquiry into the recent incidents of use of force against monks and students.

UNI