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SUU KYI ACTIVISTS SET FOR TALKS



SUU KYI ACTIVISTS SET FOR TALKS 
The Sydney Morning Herald
26 September 1997

Rangoon: Despite fears of a possible government crackdown, more than 100
members of the party headed by the democracy leader Ms Aung San Suu Kyi
have reached Rangoon to attend a meeting set for the weekend.

Dozens of members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), some
wearing their trademark peach-coloured jackets and black-and-green
sarongs, crowded teashops near the party's headquarters in Rangoon
yesterday.

Previous attempts by Ms Suu Kyi to hold NLD congresses have been met by
mass arrests of party members by the military-backed Government. 

Party officials said more than 800 people were detained at this time
last year, and 262 arrested in May 1996. The Government said it had
stopped the meetings because Ms Suu Kyi and her party intended to set up
an alternative administration.

This week, the Government has been seeking a public relations advantage
from the refusal of the NLD chairman, Mr Aung Shwe, to meet a senior
military officer, General Khin Nyunt.

The NLD objected because General Khin Nyunt refused to include Ms Suu
Kyi in the meeting, claiming he was trying to split the party's
leadership. 

The Government sent media releases to the United Nations and
international news agencies highlighting its attempt at dialogue with
the NLD.

"We are baffled by the intransigence of an individual [Ms Suu Kyi] who
place her interests above that of her party," the statement said.

While most Western diplomats publicly supported Ms Suu Kyi's stand, some
privately expressed disappointment,

"The regime really looks good because they made an offer and the NLD
rejected it," said Mr Aung Zaw, an exiled Burmese journalist. "The NLD
has made a mistake." (Associated Press)