Asia tour:
President Obama becomes the first U.S. president to visit Burma.
RANGOON, Burma — Launching a landmark visit to long-shunned Burma, President Obama said Monday he came to “extend the hand of friendship” to a nation moving from persecution to peace. But his praise and personal attention came with an admonition to those in charge: The work of ensuring and protecting freedoms has just begun.
On an overcast and steamy day, Obama touched down Monday morning, becoming the first U.S. president to visit the Asian nation also known as Myanmar. Tens of thousands of people in the longrepressed country packed the streets to see his motorcade speed through the city.
After meeting with President Thein Sein, who has orchestrated much of his country’s transition to democracy, Obama said the reforms “in Myanmar” could unleash “the incredible potential of this beautiful country.”
Obama’s language alone was significant. The United States still officially refers to the country as Burma, after the former ruling junta summarily changed the name years ago to Myanmar. But U.S. officials — and now Obama — have been less rigid about using the old name as relations change.
Obama also met with longtime democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi at the home where she spent years under house arrest.
Obama was to close his visit with a speech at the University of Rangoon, praising the country’s progress toward democracy but urging further reforms.
“Instead of being repressed, the right of people to assemble together must now be fully respected,” the president said in speech excerpts released by the White House. “Instead of being stifled, the veil of media censorship must continue to be lifted.”
Obama’s visit to Burma carries significant symbolism, reflecting a remarkable turnaround in the countries’ relationship.
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 after a half-century of military rule.
Some human rights groups said 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 said from Thailand on Sunday that his visit was not an endorsement of the government of Burma, but an acknowledgment that dramatic progress is under way and that it deserves a global spotlight.
The president’s stop came between visits to Thailand and Cambodia. His Asia tour also marks his formal return to the world stage after months mired in a bruising re-election campaign.