Suu Kyi to consult Trudeau on constitutional reform

by Staff Writers Ottawa (AFP) June 2, 2017 AFP

Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi will travel to Canada next week to consult with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on constitutional reforms, his office announced Friday.

Canada is among several Western nations supporting democratic reforms in Myanmar.

Suu Kyi's June 5-9 trip follows a fresh round of peace talks in the capital Naypyidaw aimed at ending a conflict in Myanmar's troubled frontier regions, where various ethnic groups have been waging war against the state for almost seven decades.

Summit delegates considered what shape a federal union -- which is conceptually still in its infancy -- might take.

In a statement, Trudeau said he and Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi would discuss "federalism and democratic reforms in Myanmar, as well as regional peace and security and the importance of promoting democracy, good governance and human rights."

Although he is said to be eager to meet with Suu Kyi, Trudeau's government remains "concerned about the situation of ethnic and religious minority groups in Myanmar," according to Canada's foreign ministry.

Suu Kyi, a former dissident, was given Canadian honorary citizenship in 2007.