‘Myanmar struggling to establish democracy’

NEW DELHI: Myanmar is struggling to establish full democracy after 50 years of military rule, de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Wednesday following a deadly military lockdown in restive Rakhine state.

State media say security forces have killed at least 29 people in a military crackdown after raids on guard posts along the Bangladesh border which the government blamed on Islamist insurgents.

The area is home to many Rohingya, a persecuted Muslim minority in the overwhelmingly Buddhist country.

"We as a nation are struggling to make the democratic culture take root," Suu Kyi told reporters after meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on her first official visit to New Delhi.

"We too have many challenges to face, but we are confident that these challenges can be overcome because our people are determined to overcome them."

Suu Kyi won a historic election victory last year and her administration is managing a difficult transition from a military-run pariah nation to full-fledged democracy.