A special envoy of the top leader of the Myanmar junta will visit Japan for a meeting Friday with Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi on the detention of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, government sources said Wednesday.
Khin Maung Win, Myanmar's deputy foreign minister, will visit as a special envoy of Senior Gen. Than Shwe, the chairman of the junta.
Senior Vice Foreign Minister Tetsuro Yano has personally delivered a letter to the junta in Yangon from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi addressed to Than Shwe calling for Suu Kyi's early release.
The envoy is expected to bring a reply and to ask the Japan to continue official development assistance to Myanmar. Japan has said it will freeze any future ODA projects if Suu Kyi is not released.
Japan provided Myanmar with about 2 billion yen in grants in fiscal 2002, which ended March 31, but has provided no assistance since.
Suu Kyi and some members of the National League for Democracy have been detained since what the junta claims were violent clashes between NLD supporters and projunta demonstrators May 30 in northern Myanmar.