NEWS-Thailand Says Myanmar Comments

[TheTruth@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

NOTE: Twice in the past, when the military claimed it was calling in the
MPs to protect them.  They arrested them, imprisoned them for a few days
to months and some were NEVER seen again.

Thailand Says Myanmar Comments Justified

            Reuters
            12-JUL-98

            BANGKOK, July 12 (Reuters) - Thailand said on Sunday that
its
            expressions of concern over rising tensions between
Myanmar's ruling
            military junta and the opposition did not contravene ASEAN's
policy of
            non-interference in other member states. 

            ``This is not against the ASEAN spirit,'' foreign ministry
spokesman
            Kobsak Chutikul said in defence of the comments, which drew
            criticism from Myanmar's ruling State Peace and Development
            Council (SPDC). 

            On Wednesday, the ministry called for restraint between the
military
            junta and Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy
(NLD)
            party. 

            ``Statements are made on a selective basis and on how issues
affect
            Thailand,'' Kobsak told Reuters. 

            The SPDC said on Sunday that it was concerned
anti-government
            elements could harm Suu Kyi in a bid to destabilise the
country. 

            ``At times of political tension, some anti-government
elements might
            take advantage of the situation. We are concerned about her
safety
            and that of prominent personalities around her,'' a
government
            spokesman told Reuters. 

            Tension between the SPDC and the NLD has been building since
late
            May, when Suu Kyi demanded the junta convene a parliament of
            elected representatives from a May 1990 election. 

            The SPDC, which lost the elections but ignored the result,
rejected the
            idea of a new parliament, drawing Wednesday's expression of
            concern from Bangkok. 

            ``We are concerned about the developments (in Myanmar). We
urge
            restraint by all sides to avoid violent confrontation
between the
            opposing forces,'' a Thai foreign ministry spokesman said. 

            Suu Kyi was stopped last week by the military and prevented
from
            going to meet some elected NLD members in a northern town.
After
            negotiations between the two sides, the military allowed the
elected
            party members to visit Suu Kyi in her Yangon home. 

            The military also increased surveillance of NLD MPs in
townships,
            saying it feared they could cause trouble ahead of a planned
            re-opening of institutions of higher which were closed after
student
            unrest in December 1996. 

            Myanmar's foreign ministry responded to the Thailand
comments by
            criticising foreign governments for making statements on its
internal
            affairs. 

            ``Recent statements made by certain responsible ministers
regarding
            their concern on the presupposed situation in the Union of
Myanmar
            are found to be presumptuous,'' the Myanmar Ministry of
Foreign
            Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday. 

            It added that Thailand's comments could potentially affect
relations
            between the two countries and were against the spirit of the
regional
            Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) grouping, of
which
            both countries are members. 

            Thailand had said any instability or unrest in Myanmar could
lead to
            problems along the common border between the two countries. 

            It had noted that as a result of any unrest, there could be
a spill-over of
            refugees, border trade might be hampered and drug
suppression
            activities at the border areas might be affected.