LA Times 5/27

[mcs@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Monday, May 27, 1996

                                                  Burmese Dissident Flings =
Down Gauntlet

                                                      Asia: Nobel laureate =
opens opposition congress despite
                                                  crackdown by junta. She v=
ows to step up demands for
                                                  democracy.

                                                  From Associated Press

                                                  =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Despite a =
crackdown that detained hundreds of her
                                                  supporters, Myanmar's pro=
-democracy leader opened an
                                                  opposition congress Sunda=
y that signaled a renewed courage
                                                  among her country's peopl=
e to stand up to their military
                                                  rulers.
                                                  =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 Aung San =
Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning
                                                  dissident, threw down her=
 biggest challenge to the ruling
                                                  junta since her release f=
rom six years of house arrest last
                                                  July.
                                                  =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 In her op=
ening speech, Suu Kyi said her National
                                                  League for Democracy will=
 "increase our actions to fulfill
                                                  the will of the people an=
d bring about national
                                                  reconciliation."
                                                  =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0
                                                  =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 Her chall=
enge signaled that she will no longer allow
                                                  the regime to simply igno=
re her repeated calls for dialogue
                                                  to bring democracy to Mya=
nmar, formerly known as Burma.
                                                  =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 Wearing a=
 traditional sarong, her hair tied back in
                                                  jasmine flowers, Suu Kyi =
spoke from a bamboo-and-thatch
                                                  pavilion built especially=
 for the event at her home. Banners
                                                  displayed the emblem of h=
er party, a fighting peacock.
                                                  =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 Although =
300 supporters applauded every sentence
                                                  and chanted "Long live Au=
ng San Suu Kyi," only 17 were
                                                  original delegates to the=
 party congress, the opposition's
                                                  most important planned me=
eting since it swept
                                                  parliamentary elections i=
n July 1990.
                                                  =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 At least =
238 other delegates and 24 other party
                                                  members were detained in =
a nationwide roundup last week
                                                  intended to prevent the m=
eeting, Suu Kyi said.
                                                  =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 Suu Kyi's=
 party won 392 of 485 contested seats in
                                                  the 1990 vote, but the mi=
litary rulers never let the
                                                  parliament convene.
                                                  =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 *
                                                  =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 Suu Kyi t=
ook time out from the conference to make
                                                  her weekly address to the=
 public. About 8,000 people--the
                                                  biggest crowd in years--g=
athered outside the gates of her
                                                  compound, indicating a re=
newed courage among Burmese who
                                                  many believed had been co=
wed by the regime.
                                                  =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 More live=
ly than usual, the crowd clapped and cheered
                                                  as Suu Kyi and other oppo=
sition leaders said they had tired
                                                  of waiting for the milita=
ry regime formally known as the
                                                  State Law and Order Resto=
ration Council to meet their
                                                  appeals for dialogue.
                                                  =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 Even so, =
Suu Kyi held out an olive branch to the junta.

                                                  =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 "We not o=
nly invite the people of our country, but
                                                  also the authorities, to =
join us," she said. "Because that is
                                                  the only way we can bring=
 good and happiness to our land."
                                                  =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 Suu Kyi s=
aid the meeting will be the first in a series
                                                  of party gatherings, the =
next of which could be held within a
                                                  few months.
                                                  =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0

                                                  Copyright Los Angeles Tim=
es