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U.N. Studies Burma Human Rights
- Subject: U.N. Studies Burma Human Rights
- From: ausgeo@xxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 07 May 1997 23:49:00
U.N. Studies Burma Human Rights
Wednesday, May 7, 1997
RANGOON, Burma (AP) -- A U.N. special envoy arrived Wednesday in Rangoon to
study Burma's human rights situation and to urge dialogue between the military
junta and the pro-democracy opposition led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Alvaro de Soto, special envoy of the U.N. secretary-general, is to meet with
Daw Suu Kyi and Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw during his four-day stay, according
to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity.
De Soto met with both sides during his most recent visit to Burma in August
1995, shortly after Daw Suu Kyi's release from six years of house arrest.
The junta seized power in 1988 after violently suppressing pro-democracy
demonstrations. Daw Suu Kyi's party won a landslide victory in 1990
parliamentary elections, but the military refused to yield power.
Western nations, including the United States, and private groups such as
Amnesty International say the junta is responsible for substantial human
rights abuses. The U.N. Human Rights Commission also has reported abuses and
sought to encourage governmental reforms in Burma, which the junta calls
Myanmar.