On board special aircraft, Oct 12: Asserting that India was averse to "double standards" in the fight against terrorism, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha today said there were countries which were "shedding tears" on the issue of democracy in Myanmar. "As in the case of terrorism, there are also double standards on the issue of democracy," Sinha, who accompanied Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his two-nation tour of Indonesia and Thailand, told reporters on board the special aircraft while returning to india.
"There are countries that are shedding tears for democracy in Myanmar," he said adding that India rejected double standards with regard to the war against terrorism and the issue of democracy.
Observing that India has given a clear advice to Yangon that there should be a process of national reconciliation and efforts towards return of democracy must go on, Sinha said India has been conveyed that the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been released from detention by the military junta and that she had gone home. There are much less restrictions on her now, Sinha said maintaining that the pro-democracy leader has a role to play in the return of democracy in Myanmar. The minister said the issue of the pro-democracy leader's detention figured at the 9th Asean summit in Bali last week and Yangon had explained its position that could lead to a roadmap initiating the process of national reconciliation in Myanmar. Bureau Report