An extraordinary development

October 6 - The Guardian: Aung San Suu Kyi appeared on Burmese television for the first time in years yesterday when the state-run broadcaster aired footage of the opposition leader meeting UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari.

The report was broadcast as the UN security council discussed the crisis in Burma, and it referred to her as "Daw Aung San Suu Kyi" - a respectful form of address not used in the past.

Of course one can be cynical about the regime's reasons for the broadcast; surely they are trying to make themselves look accommodating. But no matter how you slice and dice it, the move is an extraordinary concession; it indicates that the regime is deeply concerned about how they appear to the rest of the world -- and Burma's civilians.

Read the rest of the Guardian report for news on the wrangling over the conditions the junta has set for talks with Suu Kyi.