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AFP-Propaganda and PR stunts in Mya



Propaganda and PR stunts in Myanmar's political battle

       Tue 01 Sep 98 - 05:57 GMT 

       BANGKOK, Sept 1 (AFP) - Myanmar's political battle pits the junta's
Orwellian propaganda against the
       opposition's soundbite strategy, but analysts warn the war will be
won by the will of the people and not in the
       newspapers and networks of Yangon and the outside world.

       Both sides fire daily salvoes of press releases, statements and
reports, with the junta leading the way with its
       colourfully worded "Information Sheet" and the official New Light of
Myanmar Daily, which include scathing attacks
       on opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters.

       But the opposition has the upper hand when it comes to PR savvy, the
analysts say, citing snappy soundbites and
       stunts such as Aung San Suu Kyi's roadside stand-offs which draw
international attention to their cause.

       The charismatic Nobel laureate's presence and oratory skills also
win plaudits, defeating the distant and anonymous
       image of the junta.

       "We have not been doing this very long," said one junta official
appointed to deal with foreign journalists. "We try our
       best."

       The junta has responded to rising political tensions in recent
months by deftly responding to media queries and to
       Aung San Suu Kyi's stand-offs and other developments.

       After forcibly returning the National League for Democracy (NLD)
leader to Yangon after the third such confrontation
       dragged on for six days when officials blocked her from travelling
to meet provincial supporters, the junta was stung
       by international criticism.

       It quickly changed tack and presented the next stand-off as an
idyllic rural holiday for Aung San Suu Kyi, saying it had
       even provided her with "garden furniture," Madonna cassettes and
every other amenity so she could enjoy herself.
       After 13 days, Aung San Suu Kyi returned home of her own accord.

       "They are really learning how to handle these things," said one
foreign diplomat in Yangon.

       "There will still be some criticism from the US and a few others,
but they didn't use any force. They simply said it was
       unsafe to continue driving into the countryside and that they wanted
her to be happy and safe.

       "There seems to be a realisation that a heavy-handed approach
doesn't always work and just gets you guys
       (journalists) stirred up. If the government doesn't actually do
anything then you don't really have a story."

       Official statements and media are full of attacks on the opposition
and praise for the junta, which lost 1990 polls by a
       landslide but has refused to relinquish power.

       "Here, we need to look into the mess she is in," said a commentary
in the New Light of Myanmar this week, following
       its usual practice of refusing to refer to Aung San Suu Kyi by name.

       "The people see her as messing around more and more every day. No
other government could be as generous to her
       as the Tatmawdaw (military) government.

       "People are not happy as she has been going along on the destructive
path since the time she entered the political field,
       deciding to carry out any destructive acts if she does not gain
power. It is time for her to realise her wrongs."

       The NLD for its part has proven increasingly adept at keeping the
international spotlight on Myanmar.

       "I think there was a fear that attention had shifted away and they
were being forgotten," another foreign diplomat in the
       Myanmar capital said.

       "Now they are finding ways to keep that attention focussed, because
without any international pressure there won't be
       change."

       Besides the roadside stand-offs, Aung San Suu Kyi recently expelled
without explanation a team of bodyguards
       assigned to her compound by the government, and the NLD kept foreign
journalists watching for three months after it
       set a deadline for the junta to convene the parliament elected in 1990.

       However, diplomats say the rhetoric and spin-doctoring cannot
achieve change alone.

       "The key factor is still going to be what the people want," said one.

       "And despite what some say, I still think they are more interested
in rice, and then water and prices and everything
       else that effects their daily lives. Politics is just a long way
down that list."