Obama takes on role as adviser and ally for

Burmas pro-democracy aspirations

President Obama presses for more reforms from Yangon while meeting Burmas
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday. He also urged universal rights for
Rohingya Muslims. (Reuters)

By David Nakamura November 14 at 7:56 AM

RANGOON, Burma If you were the president of Burma, a young man began as he
questioned President Obama at a town hall-style event Friday. The crowd at Yangon
University laughed. So did their guest.
Youre always popular in somebody elses country, Obama replied with a chuckle.
But the hypothetical question in Rangoon contained a kernel of truth that revealed
itself during his three-day visit to this Southeast Asian nation, which is in the fitful
throes of trying to emerge from a half-century of authoritarian military rule.
On separate trips to the opulent presidential palace in Naypyidaw and to the stately

Rangoon villa of Burmas most famous politician, Obama played the role of de facto
adviser to President Thein Sein and the Nobel laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, who
remains blocked by constitutional rules from seeking the presidency.
Obama charted his own path forward for Burma, laying down markers for progress on
reforms ranging from protecting religious minorities to changing the constitution to
ensuring a fair and free election next year.
Obama was careful to emphasize that it was up to the Burmese people, and their
elected leaders, to carry out what he described. But he was unequivocal about the core
values that underscored his vision.
I expressed an objective view that some of the current provisions dont seem to have a
grounding in common sense or precedence, he said at a news conference with Suu
Kyi, referring to the constitutional provision that bars her from running for the
presidency because her sons are British citizens.
That Obama spoke about a set of American ideals and the need for other nations to
embrace them is not remarkable. He did so this week at an international economic
forum in Beijing, and he is expected to do so again in a major speech about U.S.
leadership in Asia from Brisbane, Australia, on Saturday.
In Burma, however, the message Obama is delivering and the role he is playing to
support it is more personal and tangible than with any other country in the world.
Burma, as Thein Sein and Suu Kyi know well, is reliant foremost on the United States,
its geopolitical influence and its economic largesse, to make sure the difficult reforms
withstand immense challenges and, in some cases, outright resistance within the
country.
For Obama, Burma also represents an important U.S. initiative in statecraft to counter
widening Chinese influence in the region.

The Burmese president and the democratic opposition leader despite reports of
divisions between them the Obama administration each sought this week to
minimize signs of friction and present the picture that they are working together to
prod the nation forward.
Thein Sein, whose administration has been criticized for stifling reforms and who has
been increasingly isolated in the antiseptic state capital of Naypyidaw, welcomed
Obama to the presidential palace for the first time Thursday night. Obamas 24-vehicle
motorcade drove along darkened boulevards with no signs of other traffic, passing
elaborate roundabouts and colorful water fountain displays before turning into the
long road leading to the palace. There were no residents on the streets to watch his
arrival.
An enormous white marble palace, looking larger and more opulent than the
White House, came in sight. The motorcade crossed over a moat on a bridge with white
suspension spokes before pulling up to the entrance of massive wood-paneled doors.
Thein Sein greeted him in an enormous state room, with a golden Buddhist throne that
loomed above a pair of golden arm chairs for the two presidents, who met for an hour.
Afterward, Thein Sein told reporters that they had a candid and constructive
discussion on some of the solutions and difficulties and challenges and he asked for
patience for his administration.
Obama praised the governments efforts in some areas, including the release of
political prisoners and the reduction of children forced to serve in the military. But he
said the process is still incomplete, and raised concerns about the transparency of
next years elections.
On Friday, Obama boarded Air Force One for the 40-minute flight to Rangoon. In
2012, the president had chosen that city for his first visit to Burma, which is also
known as Myanmar. He was given a heros welcome two years ago, with thousands of

children lining the streets waving flags of both nations as the presidential motorcade
passed by.
That kind of reception was missing this time, but Rangoon still presented itself, in
contrast to Naypyidaws ghostly and gaudy excesses, as warm and alive as the
motorcade wound through the streets.
When I was driving through here, everyone had a cellphone, Obama marveled during
the town hall event. There were some guys who didnt even have a shirt, but they had
smart phones, he added, launching into a dissertation on the merits of globalism.
When his entourage pulled into Suu Kyis driveway, she stepped out of her home to
greet him wearing a turquoise-colored traditional longyi. They shook hands and he
kissed her on the cheek. They disappeared inside the residence for a private
conversation.
Suu Kyi has been critical of the pace of reform and said at a news conference before the
presidents trip that the United States had been overly optimistic. By the time they
emerged an hour later, such talk was over.
We may have a different view at times, but that in no way affects our friendship, she
told reporters assembled on her lawn. Please dont worry about any problems
between the United States and those working on democracy in Burma. We all believe
in the same values and all believe in the same principles.
Obama spoke of the need to protect the safety of Muslim minorities living in the
Rakhine state, who have been persecuted by the government and are confined to
squalid camps. The president, for the first time, called the Rohingya people by their
ethnic name, which the government has rejected.
Last time I stood here, I made a pledge to the people of Burma that if we continued to
see progress reform, ties would grow stronger, and the United States would do

whatever it could to ensure Burmas success, Obama said. In the last two years weve
made good on that pledge.
At the university, he attempted to drive home that point by answering questions for an
hour in front of hundreds of students at the school, which reopened last year after
student-led protests closed the campus in 1988.
Obama called on a young man who stood up clutching a piece of paper, on which he
had written down his question. As he fumbled around, Obama reached out and took
the document from him.
The president took a closer look.
Theres too many questions on here, Obama said. Just ask me one of them. Ill read
the rest.

David Nakamura covers the White House. He has previously covered sports,
education and city government and reported from Afghanistan, Pakistan
and Japan.
Posted by Thavam