BBC : Aung San Suu Kyi vows push fo

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Monday, August 10, 1998 Published at 17:19 GMT 18:19 UK 

Aung San Suu Kyi vows push for change 

 "The tide of history is with us" 

The leader of the main Burmese political party, Aung San Suu Kyi, has told
the BBC she intends to step up her campaign for political change. 

Aung San Suu Kyi: "I think all problems are resolved through
negotiation"She said she was confident that Burma would achieve democracy
"because the tide of history is with us." 

"The situation of the country is such that the military regime can really
do nothing for the country and the people know that change is necessary." 

Aung San Suu Kyi said she believed the ruling junta would eventually accept
it had to negotiate with her National League for Democracy, which won
elections eight years ago. 

She has demanded that the parliament chosen then be convened by 21 August
and told the BBC that her party would act accordingly if it was not. 

The BBC South-east Asia correspondent Simon Ingram says Aung San Suu Kyi
seemed recovered from her most recent confrontation with the military, in
which she spent six days on a bridge outside the capital surrounded by
troops. 



Detentions 

Last Saturday's tenth anniversary of the crushing of pro-democracy
demonstrations passed off without serious incident. 

But 18 foreigners were detained in Rangoon for distributing leaflets which
the government says were aimed at inciting unrest. Foreign diplomats have
been negotiating with the Burmese authorities for their release. 

A government spokesman said the foreigners - who include six Americans and
nationals from Asian countries - had broken at least two laws but gave no
information about what action would be taken. 

They were distributing leaflets calling on the people of Burma to remember
the tenth anniversary of the suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations. 

The government said in a statement that by trying to bring "chaos and
anarchy" to the country, opposition groups were unnecessarily prolonging
the democratic process which it said Burma was undergoing.