India Papers on June 2, 1996.

[aungsan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

81 pro-democracy activists freed in Myanmar
2 June 1996., The Hindu (New Delhi)
 
Yangon, June 1.
Myanmars military government has released almost one third of the 
261 National League for Democracy members it arrested last month in 
a sweeping crackdown on the pro-democracy camp, opposition sources 
said today. "Up to now they have released 81, an NLD source said.  
"Eighty of those are elected members of the NLD." He said he hoped 
more would be released soon.
 
The NLD leader Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi said the military had arrested 
261 party members in an effort to scuttle a meeting of elected NLD 
representatives held on May 26-29.
 
The government denied arresting the politicians saying it had only 
detained for questioning some NLD members who had planned to 
attend the meeting. It did not say how many had been detained.
 
Today, the government made a small announcement in official media, 
saying it allowed the NLD delegates to return home after questioning.  
"Today, authorities have sent the delegates called in for questioning 
home, right to their doors, from the guest houses where they were 
being accommodated," said a news item dated May 31. It did not say 
how many had been released.
 
The NLD officials have said at least nine of the 261 party members 
detained last month have already been charged under sweeping 
emergency laws, which means they could be imprisoned for several 
years. (Reuter)
 
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Rumbling in Myanmar
2 June 1996., The Hindu (New Delhi)
 
Six years after the historic 1990 elections in Myanmar, the victors in 
that poll decided to reassert their rights and claim to speak on behalf 
of the people. But can the National League for Democracy (NLD) hope 
to achieve its dream of convening a parliament that was elected so 
long ago? The mandate of the people was swept under the carpet by 
the ruling military junta.
 
Whether that dream is real or achievable the NLD, led by the Nobel 
laureate Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, has decided to resume the battle 
royale for the restoration of democracy in Myanmar, formerly known 
as Burma, it appears to be an equal battle at the moment, but it is 
widely conceded that the people are with her and sooner or later, 
would come out on the streets to win back their democratic rights.
 
A three-day conference that Ms. Suu Kyi called last week to 
commemorate the 1990 verdict was a signal and a symbol in many 
ways. She was testing the water, preparing to take on the State Law 
and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), a name that the junta has 
given itself.
 
Despite the fact that 262 party functionaries, of whom 238 were 
elected to Parliament in the 1990 elections, were detained by the 
military authorities in a week-long crackdown before the congress, 
over 500 party representatives from around the country gathered at the 
lakeside residence on their leader on University Avenue in Yangon.
 
But more important than their congregation was the unusually large 
turnout for the weekend gate meetings that the Nobel laureate 
addressed. Ever since her release from six years of incarceration last 
July, Ms. Suu Kyi has made it a routine to speak to a small gathering 
of people around 3 p.m. on Saturday/Sunday. The crowd normally 
ranges from 200 to 500, depending on the mood and events of the 
week. On May 25 and 26, the crowds in front of her house swelled to a 
few thousands, expecting a message from an "oracle" as it were.
 
Left to themselves, the SLORC and the military rulers perhaps would 
have disrupted the meeting and detained more people. But since the 
arrests began even a week ahead, many foreign countries woke up to 
the threat to peace and democracy -- dormant anyway -- in Myanmar. 
One by one, they voiced "concern" at the arrest of pro-democracy 
activists and urged the junta to halt the detentions.
 
Washington and threatened to launch consultations with allies in 
Europe and Asia to work out a consensus approach to deal with the 
Myanmar junta. But SLORC was not unduly worried about the U.S. 
and the intelligence chief, Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, chided America for 
trying to resume its imperialistic approach and called Ms. Suu Kyi and 
her NLD the "puppets of foreign powers."
 
With the continuing arrest of the NLD members, other countries 
joined the protest. But there were two significant voices from nearer 
home -- Japan and Thailand. Japan was considered instrumental in 
securing the release of Ms. Suu Kyi last year and to mark that triumph 
for diplomacy. Tokyo resume aid and grants to the military regime, 
besides nudging its private sector to take up key projects in Myanmar.
 
So, when the Japanese Foreign Minister expressed concern to his 
counterpart in Myanmar -- then on a visit to Tokyo -- there was a clear 
message. Japan would not hesitate to withhold aid or show down 
investments, if SLORC continued its repressive measure. Even is it 
was not ready to hold a general elections in the near future, Tokyo 
wants the junta to start a dialogue at least and demonstrate its 
professed commitment to a gradual restoration of democracy.
 
Morally and politically, it was triumph for the democracy movement 
and the NLD. They were able to hold the first serious and well-
attended congress since the junta seized power. There may not have 
been too much of decision making at the Congress. That was not the 
expectation either. But Ms. Suu Kyi, who has been working quietly for 
10 months on a rough agenda for the restoration of democracy, was 
now able to get a broad grouping of party functionaries to provide a 
democratic and politic platform to political re-launch the struggle, 
instead of letting it appear to be a one-woman show or personally 
politics.
 
Some clear-cut decisions did emerge Ms. Suu Kyi and her colleagues 
have been authorised to draft an alternative constitution for Myanmar, 
based on strong democratic principles. She has also promised and 
economic policy formulation. These are considered symbolic steps to 
tell the people and the world that the NLD is ready to work out a 
parallel platform even as the military leadership is trying to "foist" 
its 
version of a constitution.
 
In her address to the congress and at a press conferences later, Ms. 
Suu Kyi set out here course of action and agenda: first, she wants all 
the detained persons to be released immediately; second, she calls for 
direct talks between SLORC and the NLD as that was the only 
resolution to the impasse and for genuine national reconciliation; 
third, she made it clear that there would be a series of meetings and 
conference to follow as a sequel to this congress. In other words, she 
challenged the junta to stop her on the tracks and told an attentive and 
peaceful audience: "We will not rest. The will go on till we reach the 
democracy."
 
Besides her appeals for talks with the junta, there was another 
conciliatory gesture on her part. She went out of the way to emphasise 
at the press conference, the crucial and "honourable" role of the armed 
forces. She also made it clear that their role was to defend the country 
and protect democracy. The running of the government must be left to 
a "civilian parliament" and by implication, not a House packed 
nominees from the armed forces.
 
Now that she has set for herself an agenda has decided to challenge 
SLORC and to revive the struggle for democracy, things could begin 
to move one way or the other in Myanmar. But it is considered crucial 
that neighbours, trade partners and democratic countries around the 
world should stand by pro-democracy forces at this crucial juncture. 
Even without "interfering" in the internal affairs of Myanmar it is still 
possible to nudge the military rulers to listen to the voice of the 
people 
and take positive steps to restore democracy though dialogue and 
compromise. Ms. Suu Kyi thinks Japan and Southeast Asia have a 
major role in this endavour -- in influencing and cajoling the junta in 
the months to come. 
 
V. Jayajath
singapore
 
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Junta releases 113 Suu Kyi activists, holds more rallies
 
2 June 1996, The Asian Age (New Delhi)
 
By Philip McClellan
 
Rangoon, June 1: Burmas military junta said on Saturday that 
Opposition activists detained last week in a sweep ahead of a pro-
democracy meeting had been allowed to go home.
 
The junta is announcement came in unusual article in the official New 
Light of Myanmar, which said activists from the National League for 
Democracy who had been "called for questioning" had been released.
 
NLD official said that 113 activists from the main opposition party of 
the Aung San Suu Kyi had been so far been released.
 
The officials added that they expected the number of release to be 
much higher, citing the difficulty of getting news from outside 
Rangoon.
 
A total of 262 activists were detained last week as authorities tried to 
scuttle an NLD congress being held in Aung San Suu Kyi s lakeside 
compound.
 
Aung San Suu Kyi and diplomats here have voiced concern that the 
authorities could take advantage of the detention to impose long prison 
terms on senior NLD members picked up in the sweep. NLD officials 
said they had received reports that at least nine NLD activists had been 
charged under the countrys tough public security laws, but had yet to 
received confirmation.
 
Analysts here say that with the release the junta is hoping to return to 
the situation that existed before the detentions brought massive 
coverage and focused international attention on Burma.
 
"Unless something big happens, things will return to normal, which 
mean going back to their systematic harassment of NLD members 
across the country," one analyst said.
 
Another series of huge pro-government rallies, bringing together more 
than 100,000 people across the country, was also widely reported in 
Saturdays newspaper in an effort to show broad popular support for 
the junta.(AFP)
 
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Typed by News & Information Dept. of FTUB (WB)
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