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BURMA STILL REPRESSIVE ,FUTURE SEEN
- Subject: BURMA STILL REPRESSIVE ,FUTURE SEEN
- From: moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 10 Jul 1997 14:09:00
Subject: BURMA STILL REPRESSIVE ,FUTURE SEEN BLEAK
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Burma still repressive, future seen bleak
05:26 a.m. Jul 10, 1997 Eastern
By Deborah Charles
BANGKOK, July 10 (Reuter) - Burma's political landscape is little
changed and repression has actually increased despite constant
efforts by Aung San Suu Kyi since she was released from house
arrest, the democracy leader and diplomats said.
Instead, the country appears deadlocked as efforts to bring about
change through dialogue with Burma's military leaders over the past
two years appear to have failed, they said on Thursday.
On July 10, 1995, Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi emerged jubilant
and optimistic after the ruling generals made a surprise decision to
free her from six years of house arrest.
In her first news conference she called for dialogue with the
government and for a brief time it appeared the State Law and Order
Restoration Council (SLORC) might agree.
Two years on, there has been no negotiation, crackdowns on her
National League for Democracy (NLD) party have increased, and
Suu Kyi herself is far from free.
``I'd have to say that repression has increased in the past two years,''
Suu Kyi told Reuters on Thursday in a telephone interview on the
second anniversary of her release.
The 1991 Nobel Peace laureate has been living virtually
incommunicado for the past few months. The government has barred
access to her residence and her telephone is almost always
disconnected.
``The economic situation has certainly not improved, and neither has
political freedom in any way improved,'' she said in the brief
interview that ended when the phone went dead.
Rangoon-based diplomats agreed with Suu Kyi.
``When she was released, everybody expected something to happen.
But up until now nothing has changed,'' one said.
``It's a stalemate,'' said an Asian diplomat. ``No one can find a way
to improve relations between the two sides.''
Even the government agreed that things have gotten worse.
``Since her day of release, the NLD party has got itself into a lot of
mess and now is even in a more serious situation,'' a senior Burmese
official told Reuters earlier this week.
The NLD won a landslide victory in 1990, while Suu Kyi was under
house arrest. But the SLORC never recognised the result.
The government allowed Suu Kyi and the NLD to hold gatherings
and weekend speeches at her house for a while after her release, but
the SLORC later toughened its stance.
Over the past year, Suu Kyi and her party have faced several
crackdowns by the government, which has on various occasions
rounded up thousands of NLD supporters and party members and
detained them for varying lengths of time.
Top SLORC officials also recently accused Suu Kyi and the NLD of
terrorist activities. They said she received more than $85,000 from
two Americans to aid in subversive activities. Suu Kyi on Thursday
flatly denied the accusations.
The NLD has been unable to function as a normal political party as
the government has also banned most large gatherings of the party
and blocked off access to Suu Kyi's house which serves as her party
headquarters.
In an effort to marginalise Suu Kyi, they cut off her telephone line and
closely monitor her visitors and movements. Suu Kyi's husband,
British academic Michael Aris, and their two sons have been
permitted to visit Burma only a few times since 1995. She does not
go visit them for fear she will not be able to return.
Some analysts fear Burma's upcoming admission to the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) may make matters worse.
``By becoming an ASEAN member the SLORC might gain more
confidence. Maybe by getting more confident the SLORC will take
harder action against (Suu Kyi),'' the Asian diplomat said.
The seven-nation ASEAN -- Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- is due to admit
Burma as a full member later this month.
Its membership has been fiercely opposed by Suu Kyi and several
western nations because they say it is tantamount to legitimising the
SLORC's widespread human rights abuses.
ASEAN, which follows a policy of non-interference and
``constructive engagement'' towards Burma, says admission to the
group could help Burma improve.
Despite its vow not to interfere, ASEAN officials have urged
SLORC leaders to talk with Suu Kyi, ASEAN officials have said.
The request was refused. ^REUTER@