No change to Myanmar parliament oath: Thein Sein

Myanmar's president said on Monday he has no plans to change the loyalty oath that has provoked an announcement by democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to boycott parliament, Kyodo reported.

Myanmar's president said on Monday he has no plans to change the loyalty oath that has provoked a threatened parliamentary boycott by democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Kyodo reported.

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Thein Sein told reporters in Tokyo he would like to "welcome" the Nobel Peace prize winner to parliament, but that it was up to her whether or not she took the seat she won earlier this month.

The president, who is on a five day visit to Japan that ends on Tuesday also affirmed that the process of democratisation in the former dictatorship would not be reversed.

"There won't be any U-turn," Thein Sein said. "We would like to cooperate (with Aung San Suu Kyi) by heading in the same direction, in the interest of the people," the Mainichi Shimbun reported.

Thein Sein also left open the door for Suu Kyi to enter government, but said she had to decide where her priorities lay.

Noting that the constitution does not allow lawmakers to become members of the cabinet, he said: "Suu Kyi has to make her own decision."

"Suu Kyi should work for the people, rather than her own party," Jiji press cited him as saying.