THE ASIAN AGE: APRIL 10, 1999

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SITUATION WORSENING IN BURMA: SUU KYI TO U.N.

The Asian Age, New Delhi
April 10, 1999

Bangkok, April 9: Burma's Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi called on
Friday for a UN resolution on human rights in her country, saying that the
world is yet to take full notice of the "worsening" situation under
military rule.

In a video recorded message to the 55th session of the UN Commission on
Human Rights, she said that the oppression of the democratic Opposition by
the Junta had "worsened greatly" in the past year.

"What we need now is more than mere words," the Nobel laureate said in the
message.

"I hope very much that at this session of the Human Rights Commission a
firm resolution will come out which will protect the basic rights of the
people of Burma," she said.

The National League for Democracy leader said that the military which has
ruled the country in various forms since 1962, had intensified oppression
in a way, the world was yet to realise. The repression is on a very large
scale but the world has not yet grasped the extent of the repression
because it was spread out over a number of months," Ms Suu Kyi said.

"As it is, what we have suffered over the last year is far more than we
have suffered over the last six or seven years. So we would like the
international community to be aware of the fact," she added.

She said repression had increased after the NLD called Parliament to be
convened in May last year, in accordance with the 1990 polls.

The NLD-led Opposition won a landslide victory in the election, taking 382
of 485 seats. But the military ignored the result and has not allowed
Parliament to sit.

"We are aware that the international community sympathizes with our
situation, Ms Suu Kyi said.

"But there is a need for continued action on the part of the international
community to ensure the human rights situation in Burma does not
deteriorate further."

She said that 150 NLD members of parliament were in detention along with
300-400 regular party members since a renewed crackdown on dissent which
began last year.

The NLD, in September, announced the formation of a 10-member
"representative committee" to act on behalf of the Parliament elected in 1990.

The move led to the detention of hundreds of party faithful in what
authorities described as "government guest houses."

Ms Suu Kyi said that the NLD had filed law suits against the home ministry
and military intelligence but they had been ignored.

She said that although people in Burma had little knowledge of Universal
Declaration on Human Rights, they knew their basic rights a human beings.
"They do know that people should have the right to sleep soundly in their
beds with fear," she said. The NLD leader added there was a strong
grassroots anti-government feeling in Burma and people were "aware that
there is gross injustice going on." 

The military continued to use forced labour that was unlikely to change
until the government was changed," she added.

Ms Suu Kyi said the use of child labour may have declined as the economic
crisis meant that even adults were finding it difficult to find work to
feed their families. "Some of them (the children) are so badly malnourished
that you would imagine that they came from on of those disaster areas where
there has been a famine and that is in the center of Rangoon., she said.
She aid poverty had become rife in Burma and fewer people could afford t
send their children to school. (AFP)

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