NEWS- U.S. Condemns Restrictions on

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U.S. Condemns Restrictions on Suu Kyi

            Reuters
            07-JUL-98

            WASHINGTON, July 7 (Reuters) - The United States condemned
            Myanmar on Tuesday for restricting the movements of
opposition
            leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. 

            The military junta said it stopped Suu Kyi from proceeding
on a
            planned trip to a northern township on Tuesday for her own
security
            and to prevent her from creating political unrest. 

            ``We condemn the apparent abridgment of Aung San Suu Kyi's
right to
            freedom of movement and her right to visit whomever she
chooses. All
            Burmese should enjoy these fundamental rights,'' said U.S.
State
            Department spokesman James Rubin. 

            ``The restrictions imposed on her are illegal under Burmese
law, in our
            view, and in any case, are clearly infringements of the
basic rights of
            freedom of movement,'' he added. 

            The authorities had told the U.S. embassy in Yangon that
police
            stopped Suu Kyi and the chairman of the opposition National
League
            for Democracy (NLD), Aung Shwe, while they were on the way
north to
            visit a party member elected to parliament. 

            ``It appeared the police had ordered the party leaders to
return to
            Rangoon (Yangon). However, Aung San Suu Kyi and the party
            chairman have insisted on their right to continue on their
way for the
            purpose of visiting this member of parliament,'' Rubin
added. 

            ``We've sought clarification from the government there and
expressed
            our grave concern to government authorities. We have
reaffirmed the
            strong U.S. position that freedom of movement should be
accorded to
            members of the opposition, including Aung San Suu Kyi and
the party
            chairman,'' he said.