Historic gathering in Nay Pyi Taw

 

The Cambodian delegation is reported to have been in Nay Pyi Taw at 9.35am on Tuesday, placing them among the earliest foreign delegations to arrive for the Summit.

The Indian delegation, led by Prime Minister Modi Narendra Modi, arrived on Tuesday afternoon. The Vietnamese delegation, led by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and the Laotian delegation, led by Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong, both arrived on Tuesday evening. 

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Brunei Prime Minister Saltan Hassanal Bolkiahall arrived in Nay Pyi Taw with their delegations on Tuesday night.

The UN delegation, led by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Philippine delegation, led by President Benigno Aquino III, arrived in the morning of Wednesday. US President Barrack Obama is scheduled to land at Nay Pyi Taw at 7.15pm on Wednesday. The rest of the US delegation landed in Nay Pyi Taw at 7.45pm on Wednesday and at 1.45am on Thursday. 

Leaders from Russia, Australia, Japan and the Republic of Korea also arrived yesterday. The plane carrying the Chinese delegation, led by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, landed at the Nay Pyi Taw International Airport at 6.35pm on Wednesday, just before the arrival of President Obama. 

It was reported that a team of more than 400 US security personnel will carry out safety measures for Obama who would visit Yangon on Friday, after attending the summit.

“More than 400 US security personnel will come along with the US President for security purposes. The US security members will take close security measures at the places where the president plans to visit. The Myanmar Police Force will provide assistance in these security measures,” said a high ranking Myanmar Police Force official who asked not to be named. He added that some security personnel have already been in Myanmar for a week.

Moreover, security equipment will be carried along with the American security personnel in order to carry out security measures. 

“The Myanmar Police Force has deployed more than 1,000 police at the routes the US President will take in Yangon. The police have been fully deployed throughout Yangon to tighten security, as the routes are subject to change at anytime,” said a Yangon Police Force officer who asked not to be named.

During his visit to Yangon, President Obama will meet Asean youth leaders at the Diamond Jubilee Hall Yangon University campus. He will also meet with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. 

More than 200 people from Mingala Taungnyunt Township also plans a protest against the proportional representation (PR) system when President Obama comes to Yangon.

Most of the foreign leaders will leave Myanmar today, in order to head to Australia for the G-20 Summit on November 15 and 16. 

AFP called this the biggest gathering of world leaders in Myanmar since it shed junta rule and kicked off reforms. Concerns over the pace of democratic reforms are expected to surface at the two-day event featuring Obama. Other key issues will include the festering row between several Asean members and China over territory in the South China Sea, and greater economic integration ahead of a Southeast Asian trade union mooted for 2015. The rise of self-proclaimed Islamic State and countering the Ebola epidemic are also expected to be discussed by the world leaders.

In opening remarks, Myanmar President Thein Sein said Asean nations must "strengthen unity, capacity and resilience" to overcome challenges including the Ebola virus, global economic uncertainty and the rise of extremism. He praises what he called the quick response by Southeast Asian nations in condemning terrorism and the downing of a Malaysia Airlines plane over Ukraine.