1. Envoy meets Suu Kyi

Interest in Myanmar stems from the fact that it is the only member of ASEAN still under a military regime (45 years of it) and is not democratic yet. It requires the full support of all ASEAN countries to change and become one. And the time is now.

A UN envoy met Myanmar's detained democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and leaders of the ruling junta Sunday, as he tried to broker an end to a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests.

Ibrahim Gambari (pic, left) met with Aung San Suu Kyi for more than an hour, the UN said in a statement. The rare encounter, seen as a sign of intense pressure on the regime, took place at a government guest house in the main city of Yangon.

Gambari was dispatched by UN chief Ban Ki-moon to intervene after the regime unleashed a military campaign to shut down the demonstrations several days ago, leaving at least 13 dead and hundreds arrested.

The four days of repression, which has seen live rounds, baton charges and tear gas used against monks, protesters and civilians alike, succeeded in largely shutting down the demonstrations over the weekend.

Gambari arrived in Myanmar Saturday and travelled to the remote official capital of Naypyidaw for talks with senior leaders where he was expected to convey worldwide outrage over the violence.

The UN said the Nigerian-born envoy has not yet seen junta supremo Senior General Than Shwe (pic, right) but "looks forward" to meeting him before departing from Myanmar. It did not say when he would leave.

It said Gambari "conveyed a message" from the UN chief in talks with Acting Prime Minister Lieutenant-General Thein Sein and Minister for Information Brigadier General Kyaw Hsan.

The White House had led the international community in urging the regime to allow Gambari to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate who has spent much of the past two decades in detention at her lakeside home.

In dramatic scenes a week ago, the 62-year-old opposition leader stepped out of her home in tears to greet Buddhist monks who marched past the house where she has been confined for most of the past 18 years.

The march was part of nationwide rallies which erupted two weeks ago led by the revered Buddhist monks, and have evolved into the most potent challenge to the ruling junta for some two decades.

Myanmar analyst Win Min said the rare meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi showed the regime was feeling the heat from intense worldwide criticism.

"There is a lot of pressure from the UN Security Council," he said, adding it could raise hopes for progress in the stalled reconciliation process between the Myanmar regime and its opponents.

"Initial signs are that some kind of negotiations could follow, through Gambari, but we have to be cautious because, in the past, they sent signals of opening but changed course later on," he said.

Gambari's predecessor as UN envoy to Myanmar, the veteran Malaysian diplomat Razali Ismail, said he must come away from Yangon with a real result.

The envoy "must get a promise from the military that they will not shoot the people who express their views. We cannot let the people down," he told AFP.

However, former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton said Myanmar's closest ally China held the key to political change.

"Burma (Myanmar) knows Gambari represents a divided UN Security Council. The question of Burma depends on China. One could well ask how long China is going to tolerate this military regime and its oppression inside Burma," Bolton said during a visit to Britain.

Beijing on Saturday made its most direct appeal yet for restraint, with Premier Wen Jiabao calling for "stability through peaceful means" as well as reconciliation.

The protests first erupted last month after a massive hike in fuel prices, but escalated two weeks ago with the emergence of the Buddhist monks on the front line and drew up to 100,000 people onto the streets last week.

Yangon remained in lockdown on Sunday, with thousands of police and soldiers effectively repressing major demonstrations as they patrolled the city and crushed any sign of dissent.

Troops focused on areas near Aung San Suu Kyi's home and major roads where Gambari's convoy was travelling - AFP.