DIPLOMACY

Clinton to Visit Burma

Obama administration opens up to regime.

Hillary Clinton will visit Burma next month, the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit the country in more than 50 years, President Obama announced Friday during a visit to Indonesia. “For decades Americans have been deeply concerned about the denial of basic human rights for the Burmese people,” said Obama. But “after years of darkness, we’ve seen flickers of progress in these last several weeks.” Obama called Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate who was released from house arrest last year, and sought her support for the visit. Her party won elections in 1990, but the result was suppressed by the military, which has ruled the country for decades. This year, Burma began a new civilian system headed by former general Thein Sein.