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Organization: Forum for Democracy and Human Rights
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Date: Fri, 19 Jul 1996 18:46:11 +0000
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The Asian Age ( 19th July, 1996 )
Burma generals will not be a burden to ASEAN: Jakarta
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Jakarta, July 18: Burma's ruling generals won't be a burden to the Association of 
Southeast Asian Nations, Indonesian foreign minister Ali Alatas said on Thursday, 
rejecting Western criticism over the group's gradual embrace of Rangoon.

"Why should it be a burden?" Mr. Alatas told a news conference, stressing that 
ASEAN "has the right to determine who it will have" as members or dialogue partners.

Burma, denounced by the West over its human rights record, is to become an observer 
at the seven-member grouping's annual ministerial meeting here this weekend.

It will also take part for the first time in a regional consultation on security matters 
under the ASEAN Regional Forum on Monday.

Vice-president of the European Commission Manuel Martin had warned earlier this 
week that inclusion of Rangoon in ASEAN  affair could jeopardize the European 
Union's plan to deepen it relation with ASEAN member.

Mr. Altas asserts on Thursday that ASEAN's controversial  "constructive engagement 
policy" with the junta had been a success. "Clearly there has been improvement in 
Burma" he said. He cited the release from house arrest of opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi , the end several ethnic rebellions there ,and the improving economics situation. 
I can't say all were the result of  ASEAN policy, but I think it has help.[AFP] 
    

Suu Kyi to attend Martyrs, Day service
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Rangoon, July  18:  Burma Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi will attend an official 
ceremony on Friday to mark the anniversary of her father assassination, an official  from 
the National League for Democracy said on Thursday.

"Yes, of course  she will attend ," the official said  when asked if Ms Suu Kyi would be 
at the government-run ceremony to mark the July 19, 1947, death of her father, Burmese 
independence hero General Aung San, and eight others.

They were murdered as they prepared for the hand-over of an independent Burma from 
Britain. Diplomats and observers said if Nobel Peace laureate  Suu Kyi shunned the 
official ceremony it could be seen an affront to the military at the time when relation 
between the Opposition and the government were already strained. But National League 
for Democracy  official said she would be at the Martyrs' Mausoleum on Friday morning 
with other relatives of the assassinate "martyrs" to lay  a  wreath.[Reuter]

The Hindu ( 19 th July, 1996 )
MYANMAR MAY DOMINATE ASEAN MEET 
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The state is set for another week of discussions the Indonesian capital prepares for the 
annual ASEAN Ministerial Meeting [AMM]. Along with this the third meeting of the 
ASEAN Regional Forum [ARF] and Post-Ministerial Conference with dialogue partners 
will also be held next week.

As senior officials from the seven ASEAN countries today finalized a draft statement to 
be adopted by the AMM this weekend, a war of words continued between the European 
Union and US officials on one side and the ASEAN officials on the other over the 
contentious Myanmar issue. ASEAN issue reiterate the there was no change in it policy 
of constructive engagement with Myanmar and hope that this would ultimately bring the 
desired change in the country. Myanmar gets observer status in the ASEAN this year 
after Laos and Combodia. Their Foreign Ministers too will be here to interact with their 
ASEAN counterparts The officials issued EU of "hypocrisy" on the Myanmar 
question. The Malaysian delegation chief Mr.-Ahmad Kamil  Laafar ,said " We may have 
a different approach. Who are they to say it's wrong?  We think we may yet be able to 
win rights as an instrument in it relation with Europe. The EU should not use it with 
ASEAN".

He has responding to a report remark in Brussels by EC vice- president  Mr-Manuel 
Martin who was quoted as stating "ASEAN is free to take in whomever it wants. But it 
is clear to us the Burma will be a problem. Unless there is a profound change in regime, it 
will inevitably create difficult." The EU official was referring to ASEAN decision to 
admit Myanmar in to the ARF and grant it observer status as a prelude to joining the 
group in the next few year.

The  Malaysian official referred to the "ethnic cleasing" in Bosnia and the strief in 
Northern Ireland , as example of human rights violations in the West. The US state 
department reiterate its call for a 'concerted approach"  to end the impasse in Myanmar. 
An US official in Bangkok suggested  that Asean could play a mediator role in bringing  
the military junta and the pro-democracy movement led by Ms-Aung San Suu Kyi to the 
negotiation table.

According to senior officials the expansion and consolidation of the ASEAN by including 
all  the 10 countrys in South East Asia by the turn of the century ,would be the main 
focus of the ministeral meeting on Saturday and  Sunday. 

As a step in that direction Myanmar would be granded  observe status taking the 
category to four-Laos, Combodia, and Paua New Guinea are the otbers. The Asean 
leaders' summit held in Bangkok last December will be reviewed and particular attention 
will be paid to the Mekong development programme and the  Asean railway netwooork. 
The forth coming ministeral confrence of the WTO to be held in Singapore and the 
feasibility of an Asean time zone are some fo the other subjects likely to figure in the 
delibrations. 

The Asean Regional Forum meets here on July 23, with India Myanmar expected to be 
confarmedas new members. The 21 members ARF will discuss the inter-session group 
report in confidence building measures, search and rescue operation and  U.S peace 
keeping.Member like  U.S and EU  may not only try to   rake up the Myanmar issue 
but call for a more effective and activist role for the ARF in time of crisiclike the recent 
show fo force by China across the Taiwan straist. Whether the ARF is ready to take on 
such tasks and become mediator is not clear. At the of these event comes the two days 
post-ministeral conference from July 24 when sevn Asean  country review their ties 
with the dialigue partners.India participates for the first time as a dialogue partner of 
the Asean in thids year meeting. China and Russia are hopping to graduate to dialogue 
partner .

A host of bilateral , regional and intrnation issue are expected to be covered in these 
disscussion. As far as India is concerned its possition on the Comprehensive Test Ban 
Treaty [CTBT]may be a central theme. Asean official are hoping that the meeting will 
yield a consensus on a wide range of issue affecting member countrys the worldas such. 
" The spirit of Asean is infective. We encourage discussion , but opt for consultation. 
We are sure our friends from the U.S and EU will adopt a  similar position. There are 
bound to be difference,but we come together," a senior organising official said. 

DIFFIENCE EXIST, SAYS U.S.
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(AFP reports from Washington)
The US secretary of State, Mr. Warren Christopher will express concern about Myanmar
in the upcoming talks with South-East Asian officials but agreement on how to handle the
military-ruled country is unlikely, a top US officail said yesterday.

"We do think we have a shared interest with the countries we'll be seeing in Indonesia to 
head off a crisis in Myanmar", the Assiatance Secreatary. Mr. Winston L:ord told 
reporters ahead of talks in Jakarta with Foreign Ministers from the Asean. "And I think 
it's fair to say that Asean and other countries like Japan there agree with these objectives.
It's also fair to say that we have some differences in tatics," he said.

Mr. Christopher will continue to press for a coordinated response to Myanmar's recently 
stepped-up harassment of its critics, including the democracy leader, Ms. Aung San Suu 
Kyi, Mr. Lord said.

The Cliton administration sent two envoys to Japan and South-east Asia last month to 
seek consensus on how to press Myanmar's ruling junta, the State Law and Order 
Restoration Council (SLORC), to hand over power to its critics.

SUU KYI CALLS FOR SANCTIONS
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Brussels, July 18
Myanmarnese democracy campaigner and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Ms. Aung San Suu 
Kyi called in a smuggled video, today for international sanctions to be imposed on 
Myanmar to force political change on the Yangon Government.

"What we want are the kind of sanctions that will make it quite clear that economic 
change in Burma is not possible without political change," Ms. Suu Kyi said in the video, 
made public by members of the European Parliament.

Ms. Suu Kyi dismissed fears that sanctions would hurt ordinary Burmese. "I think that 
the only people whom sanctions will affect are the privileged ones," she said.

The campainger's appeal coincides with mounting pressure within the European Union 
and other wertsern countries for action to be taaken against Myanmar's military reulers, 
who launched a crack-down on the democracy movement in May. To date the EU has 
held off imposing sanctions, with many in the 15-nation bloc arguing that without 
similar moves from China and othar Asian traders they would be meaningless.
But Ms. Suu Kyi differentiated between Asean inverstment in Myanmar and potential 
EU and US investment. Asia, she said, invested maily in Hotels, department stores and 
tourist-related business. "These, of course, are only related to the very privileged groups,"
she said.

By contract, other invesrment would be in the kind of infrastructure projects Myanmar 
needed if it was to grow economically. She said sanctions would help Myanmar's 
democracy movement by putting off inverstors. "Good business anywhere is very much 
dependent on confidence," she said.

"We thivk this is the time for concerted internetional efforts with regard to democractic 
process in Burma," she said. The video, which European Parliament officially said was 
filmed within the last two weeks, also shown Ms. Suu Kyi addressing a crowd of 
supporters. (Reuter)

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