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AP-Suu Kyi Sympathy Muted by Fear



Sunday March 28 12:16 PM ET

Suu Kyi Sympathy Muted by Fear

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Sympathy for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
following the weekend death of her husband in Britain was muted in Myanmar
Sunday because of fear of the military government.

The military issued its condolences to its most bitter opponent, but the
government was branded as ``heartless'' by human rights workers for refusing
to allow Suu Kyi a final visit from her dying husband.

``I feel sorry for Daw Suu and I think she is a strong and brave woman,''
said Myint Maung, a retired businessman, referring to Suu Kyi by a word for
``aunt,'' a term of affection.

``I want to convey my condolences personally, but I am afraid my name will
be marked down by the police,'' he said.

With no mention of his death in state-run media, many people in the Myanmar
capital, Yangon, were unaware that Michael Aris, the husband of the 1991
Nobel Peace Prize winner, had died in London.

Aris, a professor of Tibetan Studies at Oxford, succumbed to prostate cancer
in London's Churchill Hospital on Saturday, his 53rd birthday.

After he learned of his illness, Aris had applied repeatedly for a visa to
see his wife one last time, but authorities had refused to allow him into
Myanmar, also known as Burma.

Instead, they advised Suu Kyi to visit him in Britain. But she refused,
fearing the military would not allow her back into the country.

The military government issued a statement on Sunday saying it ``is deeply
saddened to hear of Michael Aris's demise and sends its sincerest
condolences and sympathy to the bereaved family in this time of grief.''

The government said it was ``assisting Suu Kyi in enabling to carry out her
husband's funeral and religious rites in Yangon.'' It also repeated its
offer to help her in leaving the country to attend the funeral in Britain.

Suu Kyi spent six years under house arrest from 1989-95. Only senior members
of her party and diplomats are allowed by the military government to visit
her. Anyone else seeking access must sign a list which is forwarded to the
authorities.