ETHNIC NATIONALITIES COUNCIL

Aung San Suu Kyi: To begin with, the talks I've had with [Labor] Minister Aung Kyi and the president. There's been a lot more substance to the talks than the ones I'd had with the SPDC [State Peace and Development Council] in the past. That felt real to me. And you have to acknowledge there is more room for the press to maneuver in. That's good. There's more freedom of information.

The Irrawaddy recently spoke with Harn Yawnghwe in an on-line interview about the current political environment in Burma, the status of reforms, the appropriate response of the international community to changes taking place in the country and ongoing challenges faced by the stakeholders.

Bertil Lintner, a scholar on Indo-Burmese affairs, tells Ratnadip Choudhury why it is tough for Myanmar to crack down on Northeast insurgency groups. Edited excerpts from an interview.

You have seen the insurgencies of Southeast Asia from Ground Zero. In some areas they have joined the mainstream, in many places they continue with their struggles. How do you see the future?

It was very significant. The title itself was called the National Level Workshop on Economic Reform for National Development, so it was spot on. And also, as you know, Aung San Suu Kyi was also at the forum which made it a very exciting time for all of us. I saw her listening to discussions and sitting down with government ministers in the coffee break to follow up on the workshop’s agenda for reform.