Sen. Jim Webb Preps for Meeting With Head of Myanmar Junta
Ria Misra
Contributor
Posted:
08/14/09
Just three days after the leader of Myanmar's opposition was sentenced to additional house arrest, setting off harsh criticism from the United States, the Asian nation is set to receive a surprising visitor. As part of a two-week tour of Southeast Asia, Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) touched down in Myanmar on Friday and is set to become the highest-ranking American official to meet with the head of Myanmar's junta, Than Shwe.
Obama administration officials confirmed to the New York Times that, though briefed by the State Department prior to leaving, Webb hadn't been given any message to convey. His trip comes on the heels of another unofficial visit to a military dictator by a prominent American -- former President Bill Clinton's meeting in North Korea with Kim Jong Il. That trip ended in the release of two American journalists imprisoned there, which has prompted speculation over whether Webb hopes his visit could prompt a change in the sentence given Aung San Suu Kyi.
It's doubtful Webb's trip will result in the release of Suu Kyi. The United States has long been sharply critical of the opposition leader's imprisonment, with former first lady Laura Bush and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaking out on the subject, to little effect.
But there is one person who could benefit from Webb's trip: John Yettaw. A 53-year-old father of seven from Missouri, Yettaw sparked the latest government trial against Suu Kyi when he swam across a lake to her home -- breaking the terms of her house arrest -- to speak with her. The American citizen, who claims he was on a mission from God and has spent the last few weeks in and out of hospitals for various ailments, was sentenced to seven years in prison at the same time that Suu Kyi's house arrest was extended through next year's elections in Myanmar. At least half of Yettaw's sentence will be spent in hard labor.
Webb probably won't shift Shwe's long-standing animosity towards Suu Kyi. But, like Clinton, the Virginia senator might be able to bring home an American citizen.
Obama administration officials confirmed to the New York Times that, though briefed by the State Department prior to leaving, Webb hadn't been given any message to convey. His trip comes on the heels of another unofficial visit to a military dictator by a prominent American -- former President Bill Clinton's meeting in North Korea with Kim Jong Il. That trip ended in the release of two American journalists imprisoned there, which has prompted speculation over whether Webb hopes his visit could prompt a change in the sentence given Aung San Suu Kyi.
It's doubtful Webb's trip will result in the release of Suu Kyi. The United States has long been sharply critical of the opposition leader's imprisonment, with former first lady Laura Bush and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaking out on the subject, to little effect.
But there is one person who could benefit from Webb's trip: John Yettaw. A 53-year-old father of seven from Missouri, Yettaw sparked the latest government trial against Suu Kyi when he swam across a lake to her home -- breaking the terms of her house arrest -- to speak with her. The American citizen, who claims he was on a mission from God and has spent the last few weeks in and out of hospitals for various ailments, was sentenced to seven years in prison at the same time that Suu Kyi's house arrest was extended through next year's elections in Myanmar. At least half of Yettaw's sentence will be spent in hard labor.
Webb probably won't shift Shwe's long-standing animosity towards Suu Kyi. But, like Clinton, the Virginia senator might be able to bring home an American citizen.