JAKARTA, March 15 (UPI) -- A military dictatorship in Myanmar is robbing its people of democratic hopes, said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Wednesday.
"A country that was once the jewel of Southeast Asia, is now out of step with the entire modern experience of the region," said Rice in remarks made during a two-day trip to Indonesia.
Lashing out at Myanmar's human rights record, she praised fellow ASEAN member, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, for his attempts in urging the country to move toward democracy.
Military rule in Myanmar ignored a 1990 landslide election victory by the National League for Democracy, led by Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest since 2003.
"Great democracies like Indonesia and the United States cannot turn a blind eye to those who still live under oppression," said Rice.
Indonesia, which recently transitioned to a democracy with the first direct election of Yudhoyono in 2004, has been fairly vocal in criticism of Myanmar's authoritarian government.
