Malaysian foreign minister cuts trip to Myanmar

Malaysian foreign minister cuts trip to Myanmar

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar cut short a democracy monitoring trip to Myanmar after a brief meeting with the prime minister of the military-ruled country, diplomats said Friday.

Syed Hamid, who was scheduled to stay in Myanmar through Saturday, drove to the airport to catch a Malaysian government plane after a brief meeting with Prime Minister Gen. Soe Win that lasted about 20 minutes, according to Asian diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The hotel in the Myanmar capital, Yangon, where Syed Hamid was staying confirmed that he had checked out. He arrived in Myanmar on Thursday as Southeast Asia's envoy to monitor claims of democratic reforms by the country's military rulers, reports the AP.

I.L.