SCMP-Regime urged to let activist's

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Subject: SCMP-Regime urged to let activist's two sons visit 

Wednesday  April 7  1999
The Mekong Region

Regime urged to let activist's two sons visit

BURMA by WILLIAM BARNES in Bangkok
The military regime must quickly allow activist Aung San Suu Kyi's sons to
visit if it wants to salvage something from the public relations disaster of
Michael Aris' death.

Rangoon-based diplomats - from all ends of the geographic and political
spectrum - have said that this is the last chance for the Government to
display some humanity in the sad affair.

"This is something the world will find easy to remember. They must act
quickly before the first draft of history is written," said one senior Asian
diplomat.

Aris asked for a visa to see his wife after he became terminally ill with
cancer.

The authorities in Rangoon said it was for Ms Aung San Suu Kyi to visit her
sick husband.

She refused to leave, suspecting she would not be allowed to return.

Ms Aung San Suu Kyi has since said that her sons, Kim, 21, and Alex, 25, had
urged her to visit their father.

The military Government eventually said she could visit and return, as long
as she did not undertake any political activity. But it was too late - Aris
died the next day.

Several diplomats said they told the regime before he died that no matter
how ill he was, he should have been allowed to make the trip.

The regime, they said, could avoid the threat of a funeral turning into a
protest by making sure that his body was quietly flown out again.

"Eventually they would have let Aris in, I'm sure of it," said another
diplomat.

"But they dallied - probably to gain some political advantage or out of
fear - and now it looks ugly."

"We were a pariah before, now we are a super-pariah," said one former
Burmese official close to the regime. "The Burmese are not a cruel people.
They will not like this," he added.

Even the regime's sympathisers, who say the incident showed how cold Ms Aung
San Suu Kyi can be, admit the Government's poor image has been further
tarnished.

Many observers feel that letting her sons visit might ease the situation.

"If ever there was a time for them to make a gesture, this is it. It can
only do them good," said one foreign businessman.