Laura Bush criticizes Myanmarese leaders

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. first lady Laura Bush lashed out at the ruling military junta of Myanmar Wednesday in an article for The Wall Street Journal.

In an unusual venture into foreign affairs, she said the secretive military government was illegitimate.

"Gen. Than Shwe and his deputies are a friendless regime," Bush wrote. "They should step aside to make way for a unified Burma (Myanmar) governed by legitimate leaders."

Bush reportedly took a personal interest in the situation several weeks ago and contacted U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Tuesday night, the White House issued a statement saying Ban had contacted Bush and told her he was dispatching U.N. Special Envoy to Burma Ibrahim Gambari to the region "as soon as possible."

Last month, Buddhist monks and nuns led peaceful protests in Yangon, formerly known as Rangoon, over the government's steep increase in the cost of fuel. The protests spread and grew to include students and workers and the government used force to put them down.