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AFP. Aung San Suu Kyi in fifth day



Aung San Suu Kyi in fifth day of deadlock with junta

       Sun 16 Aug 98 - 10:40 GMT 

       YANGON, Aug 16 (AFP) - Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi spent
her fifth day in a roadside standoff with the country's junta Sunday as
tension mounted ahead of her demand for parliament to be convened, diplomats
said.

       "I wouldn't say it is really tense here by any means, but things are
certainly building up," one western embassy official said.

       Aung San Suu Kyi remained on a small bridge linking a highway to
adjacent rice paddies about 25 kilometres (15miles) from Yangon.

       The junta stressed it was doing everything possible to maintain her
health and security after blocking her from travelling to meet supporters in a
provincial centre last Wednesday.

       A similiar standoff at the same bridge last month ended when the Nobel
peace laureate was forcibly driven back to Yangon. Her supporters said her
health had suffered and blamed the junta.

       "As far as I know she's in good health and she's in the same position,"
one diplomat told AFP.

       Although the standoff is widely interpreted as a protest against the
military regime's restrictions on Aung San Suu Kyi's movements, a junta
spokesman on Sunday said the opposition leader was in a "camping vehicle" and
was "visiting Anyarsu, a small but picturesque village outside Yangon."

       "Ms Suu Kyi left Yangon on August 12 on her way to the city of Pathein,
but regrettably, recent threats of violence have made travel there by
prominent persons inadvisable at this time," a junta spokesman said in a
statement.

       "Until safety conditions improve, Ms Suu Kyi is visiting Anyarsu, a
small but picturesque village outside Yangon,while the government of Myanmar
continues to make every effort to ensure their comfort and safety."

       The junta said it had supplied musical cassettes including religious
songs and recordings by Madonna and Michael Jackson for Aung San Suu Kyi's
enjoyment, as well as an ambulance in case of an emergency. A "beach umbrella"
and "garden chairs" had also been provided.

       "In addition to the amenities and entertainment provided by the
government to Ms Suu Kyi in helping her pass the time comfortably, government
officials provided imported cakes, cookies and soft drinks this morning," the
statement said.

       "(It) is also in the process of setting up a mobile bathroom near her
camping vehicle to ensure her maximum comfort and welfare."

       A western diplomat here said there was no indictaion Aung San Suu Kyi
had been mistreated in any way.

       "She can come back to Yangon any time," they added.

       "She knew she wouldn't be allowed to make the trip but she also knows
that by doing this you guys (journalists) will give her international
exposure."

       US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said Friday the confrontation
with Aung San Suu Kyi had reached a "moment of truth" and the international
community needed to step up pressure on the junta.

       "Aung San Suu Kyi is again asserting her basic right to move freely in
her country," Albright said in Washington.

       The NLD won 1990 elections by a landslide but the junta has refused to
give up power.

       It is Aung San Suu Kyi's fourth failed attempt to travel to meet
provincial supporters in little over a month.
       Diplomats said she had taken extra supplies on the latest trip.

       The NLD-led opposition has demanded the junta convene parliament by
August 21 or face unspecified consequences.

       Meanwhile, pro-democracy activists took their protest outside Myanmar's
embassy in neighbouring Thailand into its twelfth day on Sunday.

       Thai police said about 50 activists were keeping up their peaceful
vigil outside the embassy compound, demanding an end to alleged human rights
abuses in Myanmar.

       They have pledged to remain at the embassy until the junta convenes
parliament, citing the August 21 deadline set by Aung San Suu Kyi.

       The junta Saturday deported 18 foreign activists who were detained for
six days for distributing pro-democracy leaflets.

       They were sentenced to five years hard labour on Friday for attempting
to incite unrest, but the penalties were suspended.

                                                                              
          ©AFP 1998




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