President Obama exchanges greetings with Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, upon his arrival at her residence in Yangon, Burma, on Monday,(Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP)
YANGON, Burma -- In a historic breakthrough, President Obama on
Monday stepped onto the soil of long-shunned Burma and into the
flag-waving embrace of its once repressed people. "You gave us hope," he
declared, the first U.S. president to visit what not long ago had been
an international outcast.
Tens of thousands of people poured into the streets to welcome Obama to a place still learning its basic freedoms.
Speaking
to a national audience from the University of Yangon, Obama offered a
"hand of friendship" and a lasting U.S. commitment, yet a warning as
well. He said the new civilian government must nurture democracy or
watch it, and U.S. support, disappear.
The visit to Burma was the
centerpiece of a four-day trip to Southeast Asia that began in Bangkok
and will end Tuesday in Cambodia, where Obama will attend an East Asia
Summit.
Obama seemed to revel in the history of what he was
witnessing in Burma - a nation shedding years of military rule, and a
relationship between two nations changing fast.
"This remarkable journey has just begun," he said.
In
a notable detour from U.S. government policy, the president referred to
the nation as Myanmar, the preferred name of the former military regime
and the new government, rather than Burma, the old name and the one
favored by democracy advocates and the United States government.
On
his first trip abroad since his re-election earlier this month, Obama
got a warm welcome in Burma, hugging long-time opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi and lauding her as a personal inspiration. Crowds swelled at
every intersection, yelling affectionately for Obama and his secretary
of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
"You are the legend hero of our world," one banner read.
Obama acknowledged Burma's many democratic shortcomings but said: "The United States of America is with you."
Obama
spoke at a university that was once the center of government
opposition, and his message was as much a call for Burma to continue in
its promising steps as it was a tribute to democracy in general. He held
up the United States as an example of its triumph and its
imperfections.
Coinciding with the president's visit, the
government of Burma announced further human rights steps to review
prisoner cases and de-escalate conflicts in ethnic regions of the
country. The government also set free dozens of political prisoners on
Monday.
At least 44 political prisoners, including several
prominent human rights activists, were among 66 detainees released, said
former prisoner of conscience Soe Tun.
But Obama urged even more, calling for a government where, as he put it, "those in power must accept constraints."
"The flickers of progress that we have seen must not be extinguished," Obama said in an address televised to the nation.
Obama
paid a personal call to the revered democracy advocate, Suu Kyi, at the
lakeside 2-acre compound where she spent much of the last two decades
under house arrest. The house, a colonial-style, grey stucco home, has
become synonymous with the movement that brought about democratization
reforms.
Suu Kyi echoed Obama's tone with an admonition of her
own, one that could have been directed at her own ruling party as much
as to the United States:
"The most difficult time in any
transition is when we think that success is in sight," she said. "Then
we have to be very careful that we're not lured by the mirage of
success."
Earlier, with President Thein Sein at his side, Obama
said the journey was just starting. "But," Obama said, "we think a
process of democratic and economic reform here in Burma that has been
begun by the president is one that can lead to incredible development
opportunities."
In a first-ever scene, Air Force One flew over
Burma's lush countryside, which was dotted with gold-spired temples,
rice patties and fish farms. As the plane approached Yangon, the
landscape became more crowded with homes, including many clusters of
shacks.
Obama walked down the steps of his aircraft with Clinton, a
shared image done in recognition of their last trip together. Clinton
plans to leave the diplomatic post soon.
In an extraordinary scene
for Burma, huge crowds of people lined the streets of Yangon to watch
Obama's motorcade pass, including hundreds of students wearing matching
school uniforms of white shirts and dark green sarongs. Many held up
iPads and smart phones to take photos of the speeding motorcade.
Obama
has rewarded Burma's rapid adoption of democratic reforms by lifting
some economic penalties. The president has appointed a permanent
ambassador to the country, and pledged greater investment if Burma
continues to progress following a half-century of military rule.
The
trip to Burma came against a backdrop of criticism from human rights
groups that say Burma's government, which continues to hold hundreds of
political prisoners and is struggling to contain ethnic violence, hasn't
done enough to earn a personal visit from Obama.
The president's response: Progress this dramatic deserves a global spotlight.
"When
I took office as president, I sent a message to those governments who
ruled by fear: We will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your
first," Obama said. "... So today, I have come to keep my promise, and
extend the hand of friendship."
Associated Press