Burma's long night may finally be over-is now free to lead her party to the Burmese elections.

Natwar Singh New Delhi, December 18, 2011 | UPDATED 15:01 IST

Burma's long night may finally be over



Aung San Suu Kyi (seen with Hillary Clinton) is now free to lead her party to the Burmese elections.


Burma was a part of the British Indian Empire till 1937. Bal Gangadhar Tilak spent six years (1908-'14) in Mandalay Jail; Subhas Chandra Bose too spent over two years (1925-'27) in that mosquito-infested, ill-kept and nasty establishment. I paid an official visit to Burma in September 2004. While in Mandalay, I visited the jail compound. The jail has been pulled down, but the 12-foot-high sinister walls are a grim reminder of Britain's brutal Burma.

In 1962, Burma turned its back on the world. Now there is a break in the dark clouds of the Burmese sky. The military junta has had to make unheard- of democratic concessions. After two decades in house arrest, the charismatic and gutsy Aung San Suu Kyi is free to lead her party in the forthcoming elections. Her father, Aung San, was assassinated in 1947. He was 34 years of age and led Burma's freedom movement. Had he lived, he would have become independent Burma's first Prime Minister.

Burma remained a democracy till 1962. That year, General Ne Win ousted Prime Minister U. Nu. The travails and trial of the people of Burma began. Their agony lasted far too long. Ne Win was a Buddhist who flouted the basic tenets of a great religion. India had no choice but to deal with his government.

In the latter half of 1987, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi paid an official visit to Burma. I accompanied him. He had done his home work and looked forward to his talks with General Ne Win and other leaders. It was his desire to put some life into India- Myanmar relations. Burma was rich in timber, oil, jewels and rice. India could help in Burma all across the board.

General Ne Win
General Ne Win
The airport welcome was austerely friendly. No large crowds, no cheering. In the evening, the Prime Minister called on General Ne Win. He was accompanied by foreign secretary K. P. S. Menon, ambassador I. P. Singh and myself. General Ne Win had brought two gentlemen with him. I recognised the foreign minister. The identity of the other dignitary was soon known.

The General said, "Rajiv, this is the President of Burma. He normally talks very little. In my presence he does not talk at all." His Excellency the President did not let Ne Win down. For the next hour he did not utter a word.

From the word go, General Ne Win adopted an avuncular tone. Every proposal the Prime Minister made was brushed aside. Tourism. "I dislike tourists. They give wrong ideas to our people. I made a big mistake by allowing Germany to open a tourist office. I am going to close it," the General announced. Before the Prime Minister made a proposal to increase trade, the General lapsed into nostalgia.

Rajiv Gandhi
Late Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv, you must have been very young when I met your grandfather," he said. Yes, he was young. India, Rajiv Gandhi continued, could train Burmese technicians and give scholarship to students. The answers were not encouraging. "When students go abroad, they get fancy ideas. I remember a talk with your mother about this," the General replied. Rajiv Gandhi kept his cool. I could see he was driven to controlled indignation. It was, to say the least, a frustrating experience.

Later, we had meetings with the Burmese Prime Minister and several ministers. Each proposal made by Rajiv was joyfully accepted. What a contrast. What fruitful discussions.

Our joy was shortlived. General Ne Win would have none of it. He overruled his Prime Minister. Nothing in my diplomatic experience had prepared me for so bizarre an encounter. There exists pleasures of diplomacy. So do perils.

Finally, Burma is stepping out of a long and dark tunnel and breathing the fresh breeze of democracy. Aung San Suu Kyi is an authentic hero. She is an inspiration.

In 1995, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust awarded Aung San Suu Kyi the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace. She could not attend as she was not allowed to leave Rangoon.

I went to Oxford to meet her husband, Michael Aris, who was one of the world's leading authorities on Bhutanese, Tibetan and Himalayan studies, to invite him to New Delhi to receive the prize. Alas! He too could not come.

It is my earnest hope that Aung San Suu Kyi will soon come as our guest to New Delhi, where she spent her childhood with her mother, who was Burma's ambassador to India for several years.