U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari told Myanmar on Monday to stop arresting dissidents and Thailand proposed a regional forum including China and India to nudge the reclusive military junta towards democratic reform.However, as the region began a new diplomatic approach beyond the failed strategies of sanctions or "constructive engagement", the former Burma's ruling generals remained defiant, vowing to plough on with their own much-criticized "roadmap to democracy". "We will go ahead. We will not deviate from our path," the official New Light of Myanmar said in a commentary on the seven-point masterplan, unveiled in 2003, to chart a course beyond the military rule of the last 45 years. "Those who sincerely want to hold hands with us are welcome," the newspaper continued in uncompromising tone. "We will get rid of the barriers and obstacles on the way."
Gambari, in Bangkok at the start of a regional tour to drum up support for a coordinated diplomatic front, said actions spoke louder than words -- and that the continued arrests and intimidation of activists were "extremely disturbing".