By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has extended an invitation to Burmese democratic movement leader Aung San Suu Kyi to visit Taiwan, the party said in a press release yesterday.
DPP Department of Foreign Affairs Director Liu Shih-chung (劉世忠) and DPP Legislator Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津) extended the invitation to a delegation of the National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party.
The DPP delegation was attending an annual meeting of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) in Bangkok, which focused on Myanmar’s democratic transition and climate change, on Saturday and Sunday.
The delegation expressed its utmost support of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who was placed under house arrest by the military junta between 1989 and 2010, Liu was quoted as saying in the press release.
If the world renowned politician agreed to the invitation, it would be her first visit to the nation.
The invitation coincided with US President Barack Obama’s visit to Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia and reflected the party’s synchronized effort with the US to strengthen its relations with the Southeast Asian countries, Liu said in the press release.
DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) has paid much attention to the dynamics of the US-China relations following the US presidential election and China’s recent leadership transition, which could impact Taiwan’s security and strategic options in the Asia-Pacific region, Liu said.
Su recently appointed the DPP representative to the US and is planning to establish a China Affairs Committee in the near future.