Bangkok, Oct 6 (UNI) UN Secretary General's special envoy to Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari is planning to go back and try to bring about talks between Myanmar's military rulers and detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Thai Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram said.

''The UN envoy wants to return to Myanmar before leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meet in Singapore in November and has sought Thailand's support for this,'' Thai newspapers today quoted Mr Nitya as saying.

The minister was speaking to mediapersons after a meeting with Mr Gambari at the UN headquarters in New York yesterday.

Mr Gambari returned to the UN headquarters on Thursday after a four-day trip to Myanmar where he met top military ruler General Than Shwe in the country's new capital Nay Pyi Taw and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi who still lived under house arrest in Yangon.

The UN envoy had extended his stay in Myanmar while he waited for a meeting with Myanmar's ruling junta leader.

Meanwhile, a large number of academics and rights activists from 17 countries yesterday issued a statement asking Thailand, China, Japan and India not to let their economic interests in Myanmar keep them from urging Myanmar to end the repression of pro-democracy campaigners in the country.

UNI