NEWS - World Concern Grows on Day S

[TheTruth@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

NOTE: The SPDC regime doesn't care.  It will let her die of starvation
on the road.


World Concern Grows on Day Six of Suu Kyi Protest

            Reuters
            29-JUL-98

            BANGKOK, July 29 (Reuters)- Myanmar opposition leader Aung
San
            Suu Kyi was running out of food on Wednesday, the sixth day
of a sit-in
            protest in her car against travel curbs imposed by the
military
            government, diplomats said. 

            A government spokesman denied the report and said Suu Kyi
would
            be given food if she needed it. But the junta said it was
not ready to
            discuss growing demands from her party and leading nations
that she
            be allowed to travel freely. 

            In Manila, Myanmar Foreign minister Ohn Gyaw told reporters
his
            government had rejected requests by several countries to
give U.S.
            and Japanese envoys immediate access to the 1993 Nobel Peace
            Prize laureate. 

            Western diplomats in turn vowed to maintain pressure on the
junta until
            it heeded their calls for democratic reform 

            Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) on Wednesday
            condemned the restrictions on her travel, saying it was an
attempt to
            curb her political activity. 

            ``It is illegal confinement to bar the general secretary and
(her) party
            from going from specially designated areas to other
places,'' it said in
            a statement. 

            Security officials on Friday stopped the car carrying Suu
Kyi and three
            others at a bridge near Anyarsu village, 64 km (40 miles)
from Yangon.
            They said she could not go to western Pathein township to
meet
            supporters and should return to Yangon. 

            But Suu Kyi refused. She has since stayed in the car except
for short
            breaks to stretch. 

            The government said Suu Kyi was stopped because she did not
have
            her security team with her and it was concerned she might be
harmed
            by anti-government elements, leaving authorities open to
blame. 

            Suu Kyi is the daughter of the late Aung San, revered as the
country's
            founding father. 

            The government has also accused her of trying to foment
dissent
            ahead of the planned reopening next month of universities
and other
            institutions closed in December 1996 after student unrest. 

            Tensions between the junta and the NLD escalated after Suu
Kyi
            urged the government to convene by August 21 a parliament
            comprising members elected in may 1990. The NLD swept that
poll
            but the military has ignored it. 

            ``The latest information we have from her party members is
that she is
            running out of food and medical supplies,'' a diplomat told
Reuters by
            telephone from Yangon. 

            Other diplomats said Suu Kyi was becoming weak with hunger
and
            stress. 

            But a government spokesman on Wednesday said Suu Kyi still
had
            boiled eggs, cakes and other food in the car. 

            ``They asked for more drinking water this morning. We gave
it to
            them.'' he said. 

            ``As to her health, her two personal physicians checked her
up
            yesterday and we have a medical team on standby. These
people are
            just trying to sensationalise the issue,'' he said. 

            The government had arranged for two physicians to give Suu
Kyi daily
            checks as recommended by her personal doctors, he added. 

            ``It is psychological warfare,'' another diplomat said.
``The military
            won't touch her but won't allow anyone to get close
either.'' 

            The government said members of the public and the NLD would
not be
            allowed to meet Suu Kyi, and urged foreign governments to
stop
            ``fanning the fire'' by backing the NLD. 

            The government spokesman also said Suu Kyi, who earlier
refused to
            talk to negotiators, had broken her silence and demanded to
be
            allowed to travel freely. 

            ``But the government position is that we can discuss that
later. Not at
            the present site. Return to Yangon and we can talk about
this later,'' he
            said. 

            Asked if he expected a prolonged stand-off, he said: ``We
have to wait
            and see when (U.S. Secretary of State) Madeleine Albright
leaves
            Asia. Maybe then (Suu Kyi) will return.'' 

            Albright, who is visiting Asia, has demanded Suu Kyi be
allowed to
            travel freely. 

            U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson urged
the
            same on Tuesday. 

            And in New Delhi, dozens of Myanmar students marched through
the
            streets on Wednesday, demanding freedom of travel for Suu
Kyi. 

            Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw said his government had many ways
to
            end the stand-off, and rebuffed requests to let U.S. and
Japanese
            envoys meet Suu Kyi. 

            ``At this juncture, the meeting with (the) Japanese
ambassador and
            U.S. charge d'affaires is not urgently needed. Authorities
will comply
            with the request when necessary,'' he said. 

            Diplomats said the stand-off was becoming more tense and
there
            could be protests by her supporters if anything happened to
Suu Kyi. 

            ``The situation seems to be calm on the surface, but
actually it is quite
            tense because the stand-off is ongoing,'' one said. ``The
supporters of
            Aung San Suu Kyi seem to be ready to turn up in full force
if anything
            happens to her.''