Gambari’s meeting with Myanmar junta chief delayed

The day was relatively quite in Yangon, one of the cities, which was a scene of massive public demonstrations against the military junta in the last few days. Residents have been trying to get back to their normal lives, many schools and shops have been reopened and commuter buses have returned to streets. However this so called normality is being heavily guarded by security forces, says Htet Aung Kyaw , a senior journalist from the Oslo-based opposition radio station, the Democratic Voice of Burma: ”Today we have not seen any big protests in Myanmar because of heavy security presence.”

Human rights groups say many are under arrest

Following last week’s massive military crackdown on protestors and monks in Myanmar, rights groups are struggling to assess the real extent of the carnage. Many believe the death toll may have been far higher than the numbers given so far. According to a Thailand-based group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, over 1,500 people have been arrested last week and many have been subject to harsh prison conditions. The Democratic voice of Burma says that the junta has also set up new temporary detention centres in Yangon to put people there.

Will Gambari’s visit lead to a breakthrough?

So far, the UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari’s efforts to meet the senior General Than Shwe have been in vain. Officials say, he was instead taken to a government trip to Lashio, some 400 kilometres northeast of the capital to attend a political workshop. But he is expected to return to the capital Naypyidaw on Tuesday for the possible meeting with General Than Shwe. However journalist Aung Kyaw doesn’t think there will be any breakthrough: “Gambari is on a government-sponsored trip to a place near the Chinese border. So for me, it is difficult to believe if his vist will at all bring any significant progress.”

At the weekend, Mr Gambari held talks with some senior leaders and conveyed the world’s outrage over the recent violence. On Sunday, he was allowed to meet the detained pro-democracy activist, Aung San Suu Kyi, in Yangon.

His visit comes, as Japan's Deputy Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka is also in Mynamar to probe the killing of a Japanese journalist, who was killed by troops during a protest on Thursday. Tokyo is one of Myanmar's leading donors, but has registered its serious protest against the junta following the killing of its national and has said that it might consider "some stern measures" against the regime.