NZ to help monitor Burma byelections

Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Photo / AP

Two New Zealand diplomats have joined other international observers for landmark byelections in Burma tomorrow in which democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to win a seat.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said the deputy head of the NZ Embassy in Bangkok, Todd Cleaver, and one other diplomat arrived in Burma on Wednesday after a surprise invitation to monitor the elections.

"We didn't know we were going to receive an invitation. Early indications were that there would be no international observers, with the possibility held out that they might invite some of their Asean neighbours," he said.

"They extended an invitation to us last week. I got on the phone to Bangkok myself and made sure we put people forward within minutes of finding out that we could."

Ms Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy won 392 out of 492 seats in the last free election, in 1990, was not allowed to take her seat in Parliament then and has spent most of the past 22 years under house arrest.

She was finally freed last year and Burma's military regime has since released 650 other political prisoners, legalised trade unions and relaxed media censorship.

It has invited 159 foreign observers to monitor tomorrow's polls.

Mr McCully, who met Ms Suu Kyi in Rangoon on March 7, said he had arranged to ring her again a few days after the byelections to see whether she felt they were free and fair.

New Zealand would be guided by her view, as well as its own observers, before deciding whether to support easing trade sanctions.

He said the decision on sanctions would be "a matter for international discussion", but there was agreement on a "checklist" including free and fair elections, release of political prisoners and moves towards settling the ethnic conflicts.

"All the signs are that the regime is going to almost challenge the international community to review the sanctions at an early time, and I think that ... that is something that is going to happen," he said.

"I wouldn't be surprised to see quite significant moves sooner rather than later."