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Japan, Thailand agree to promote de



Subject: Japan, Thailand agree to promote democracy in Burma

 .c Kyodo News Service    

TOKYO, May 20 (Kyodo) - Japan and Thailand agreed Tuesday to cooperate on
promoting democracy in military-run Myanmar, Japanese officials said. 

Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda told Thai Foreign Minister Prachuab Chaiyasan
that he hopes Myanmar's junta will take measures to allow pro-democracy
groups to take part in the process of drafting a new constitution, Foreign
Ministry officials said. 

Ikeda was quoted as telling Prachuab that the State Law and Order Restoration
Council (SLORC) should give more importance to the National League for
Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate,
because the NLD won the 1990 general election. The junta refused to recognize
the election results. 

Prachuab, who arrived here on a five-day visit earlier in the day, said
Thailand is seeking measures to create jobs in Myanmar in order to realize
its wish to repatriate some one million Myanmar nationals who are currently
working illegally in Thailand. 

On bilateral relations, Prachuab informed Ikeda of Thai Prime Minister
Chavalit Yongchaiyudh's plan to make an official visit to Japan in October,
according to the officials. 

AP-NY-05-20-97 1054EDT