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NEWS - Suu Kyi mounts new challenge



Suu Kyi mounts new challenge to Myanmar government

            Pro-democracy leader
            blocked again on road trip

            August 12, 1998
            Web posted at: 8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 GMT) 

            In this story: 

                Report: Others detained 
                More supplies this time? 
                Government denies house
                arrest claim 
                Related stories and sites 

            YANGON, Myanmar (CNN) -- In her latest defiance of Myanmar's
            military regime, pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi left
her
            home Wednesday to meet members of her political party
outside the
            capital. As in previous attempts, authorities blocked her en
route. 

            Her next move was not immediately clear. 

            Suu Kyi, head of the National League for Democracy (NLD),
was
            headed for Bassein, 160 kilometers (100 miles) west of
Yangon, when
            she was stopped at the same roadblock where she had been
held up
            for six days last month, government and party sources
confirmed. 

            Her trip was halted close to the village of Anyarsu, around
27 km (17
            miles) west of Yangon. 

            Report: Others detained

            Meanwhile, a Myanmar exile opposition group claimed
Wednesday
            that four would-be members of parliament from her party were
            detained for defying the military's orders restricting their
movements. 

                                   The All Burma Students' Democratic
                                   Front said the number of such
                                   detentions since mid-June now
                                   totaled 83. The report could not
                                   immediately be confirmed. 

                                   The military government has stepped
                                   up action against NLD personnel
                                   since the party set an ultimatum in
            June for the government to convene a parliament by August 21
of
            members elected in 1990. 

            The NLD won those elections by a large margin, but the
result was
            ignored by the government. 

            In recent weeks around 60 party members have been required
to
            check in regularly with the authorities to restrict their
movements, NLD
            sources said. 

            The NLD's elected members have faced fierce repression, with
nearly
            200 dead, imprisoned or in exile. In addition to the latest
alleged
            detentions, the All Burma Students' Democratic Front said
two other
            members had been intimidated into resigning from parliament. 

            Last month, the government denied it had detained any
lawmakers,
            saying they had only been "temporarily prevented" from
leaving their
            hometowns to prevent them from agitating students. 

            More supplies this time?

            Authorities ended Suu Kyi's previous standoff on July 29
when they
            seized her car, forcibly restrained her and drove it back to
her home
            against her will. 

            She spent several days recovering
            from a high fever and dehydration. 

            She had taken food and water with
            her, but supplies eventually ran out.
            Authorities refused to let her buy
            fresh supplies and prevented her
            party members and doctors from
            giving her food and water, party
            members have said. 

            On Wednesday, Suu Kyi was again
            accompanied by Hla Pe, a 75-year-old member of her party's
central
            executive committee, as well as one or two drivers. 

            In apparent preparation for another standoff, she was
traveling in a
            friend's van instead of the sedan she had used on previous
trips. The
            van would allow more comfort for an extended stay and could
carry
            more food and water. 

            Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, is largely
confined to
            her home and has little political maneuvering room. But
recently she
            has stepped up challenges to the government. 

            The foray Wednesday was her fourth attempt in two months to
drive
            outside Yangon. 

            Official newspapers said earlier Wednesday that Suu Kyi's
attempts to
            "create instability and to incite the people" would not be
tolerated. 

            Government denies house arrest claim

            Since releasing her from six years of formal house arrest in
July 1995,
            the military has allowed Suu Kyi to travel outside Yangon
only once, to
            visit a Buddhist monk. 

            Since September 1996, the government has installed police
            checkpoints near Suu Kyi's lakeside home, refusing
journalists entry
            and restricting access by diplomats and party members. 

            Government security personnel installed inside her home were
            withdrawn Friday on her demand. The government has added
security
            checkpoints on nearby roads and has searched cars leaving
her
            home. 

            The party complained that the new measures amounted to a
form of
            house arrest. The government responded Tuesday that Suu Kyi
had
            received 300 visitors in a few days and noted that "she will
always be
            provided with all necessary security and protection." 

            "There is no government restriction on her movement as long
as
            security conditions permit," the government said in a
statement. 

            On Saturday, Myanmar marked the 10th anniversary of a
nationwide
            uprising against military rule. The uprising eventually was
crushed by
            troops. An estimated 3,000 people died. 

            Myanmar's own people were calm on the anniversary. A day
later,
            however, 18 democracy activists from other countries were
arrested
            after handing out leaflets urging people to remember the
uprising. 

            They were still being held Wednesday. 

              Correspondent Tom Mintier, The Associated Press and
Reuters
                            contributed to this report.

              
            Related stories: 

                Myanmar military halts latest Suu Kyi trip - August 12,
1998 
                Americans held in Myanmar said to be in good health -
August 12, 1998 
                Opposition rejects meeting with Myanmar government -
August 7, 1998 
                Protesting Myanmar activist spends 5th day in car - July
28, 1998 
                U.S. businesses criticize Burma sanctions - April 24,
1997 
                Suu Kyi ridicules Burma's rallies - May 29, 1996