Myanmese Junta, cruel and inhumane

[khin_s_w@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

DEMOCRATIC ACTION PARTY, MALAYSIA
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Media Conference Statement(3) by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP
Secretary-General and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang, at the Kuching
International Airport on his arrival from Sibu on Sunday, 28th March
1999 at 11.30 a.m.:

Myanmese military junta should be condemned by world opinion for its
cruel and inhuman refusal to allow Michael Aris to visit his wife, Aung
San Suu Kyi before he died of prostate cancer in London yesterday
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The Myanmese military junta should be condemned by world opinion for its
cruel and inhuman refusal to allow Michael Aris to visit his wife, Aung
San Suu Kyi before he died of prostate cancer in London yesterday.

The leaders of the Peace and Development Council (SPDC) of Burma have
shown the international community that they do not have the  human
compassion and decency to put aside political differences when a human
being is about to go to his Maker, and let a couple which had been kept
separate for five years because of inhuman man-made laws to at least
meet for the last time.

What is even more deplorable is that the SPDC had even suggested at one
time that Michael Aris' terminal stage of cancer was a political ploy to
put international pressure on the Myanmese military junta - a cynical
attitude which shows how lacking in humanity are the present leaders of
Burma.

The refusal of the SPDC to act with decency and humanity will bring the
Myanmese military junta into greater international odium and opprobrium
and this cannot enhance ASEAN's international reputation to have such a
rogue state as one of its members.

When Burma was admitted as an ASEAN member two years ago, the implicit
undertaking of the original ASEAN five was that such admission would
help to bring the Myanmese military junta into the mainstream of
civilised international conduct.

Unfortunately, this has not come to pass.  Malaysia and the other ASEAN
governments should call in their respective  Myanmese Ambassadors to
express ASEAN's horror at the latest Myanmese misconduct and to impress
on the SPDC that it should not continue to compromise ASEAN's
international reputation by continuing to disregard the most basic of
human decencies and civilities.


The Myanmese military junta should be urged to start on a new page by
seriously embarking on a process of national reconciliation with the
pro-democracy forces and the various nationalities - and to pave the way
for the return of democratic and civilian rule in Burma.

                                                    Lim Kit Siang