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News on India papers June 6
Junta warns Suu Kyi her party may be banned
June 6 1996, The Hindu (New Delhi)
Yangon, June 5: Myanmars military Government has issued a
veiled warning that democracy leader, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyis
political party might be outlawed.
A commentary in the State-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper
attacked Ms. Suu Kyis plan, announced at a meeting of her
National League for Democracy (NLD) late last month, to draft a
new constitution.
"If a single party writes the constitution to its own liking and exerts
pressure and coercion to jeopardise political stability, it is only left
to designate that party an unlawful association," the commentary
said.
Myanmars newspapers are tightly controlled by the Government
and all editorials and commentaries are accepted as reflecting the
thinking of the ruling military body, the State Law and Order
Restoration Council (SLORC).
"If it becomes an unlawful association, the existing Government
would have to take action to the extent of its sovereign powers
against the founders, members and controllers of that unlawful
association," the commentary said.
Ms. Suu Kyi, a co-founder of the NLD, ended the three-day party
meeting at her Yangon home last week with an announcement that
party members had assigned its leadership to draft a new
constitution for Myanmar.
The NLD angered the SLORC in November when it pulled out of a
Government-controlled convention drafting the guidelines of a
constitution. It said the convention, meeting intermittently since
January 1993, did not represent the will of the people.
The SLORC sees its convention as key to its plans for the country
and directed the delegates attending to enshrine a "leading role" for
the military in future politics.
Today, the State-run New Light of Myanmar, said Ms. Suu Kyi
could not be trusted to be a leader because she has a British
husband. Referring to Ms. Suu Kyi as the "puppet princess," the
commentary said the 1991 Nobel peace laureate could not be trusted
to keep State secrets if she were ever to become the countrys leader.
"Will the wife not let her husband know in the least matters that are
connected with the affairs of the State?", the article said, written
under the pen name "Patriot."
"In scrutinising the matter of safeguarding the country from dangers
and from the point of view of security of the State, it is quite obvious
that she cannot be trusted in the least," the commentary said.
Over the past two weeks, Myanmar has stepped up its propaganda
against foreign interference in the country, calling Ms. Suu Kyi and
her NLD party "stooges" of imperialists. (Reuter)
**********************************
Burmese junta blasts Suu Kyi
June 6 1996, The Times of India (New Delhi)
By Aye Aye Win
Rangoon, June 5: In a new attack on the pro-democracy movement,
the state-run press on Wednesday described opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi as a "Puppet Princess" of her British husband, stopping
just short of calling her a foreign spy.
Burmese newspapers, which are all state-run, have devoted lengthy
articles in the past few weeks to denigrating Ms. Suu Kyi and her
National League for Democracy (NLD), which defied the
government last month by holding a party congress.
The military government, which seized power in 1988 after violently
suppressing pro-democracy demonstrations, tried to stop the meeting
by detaining almost all its would-be delegates.
The 18 delegates who eluded arrest adopted resolutions urging the
military to quit power, and said the pro-democracy party would draft
alternative constitution to one being considered by a government-
stacked panel.
A lengthy seven-part attack on the pro-democracy movement in the
state press, titled "Lets tell the truth," concluded on Wednesday by
suggesting that Ms Suu Kyi was more loyal to her husband, British
academic Michael Aris, than to her country.
Suggesting dangers to the countrys security if Ms Suu Kyi assumed
a position of national leadership, the article that "it is quite obvious
that she cannot be trusted in the least."
"Organisation such as the CIA, which want to pry and dabble in the
internal affairs (of Burma), will no longer have to raise spies and
agents in different forms by spending huge money. This is because
they already have that person, who can enter the country legally
through the gate which is open and will pry open and get for them
state secrets on (Burmas) internal affairs."
Although the article did not mention Ms Suu Kyi or her husband
dubbed the "puppeteer" by name, it made its targets clear by other
references, such as her street address. (AP)
********************************
SUU KYI ONLY A PUPPET PRINCESS, SAYS BURMA DAILY
June 6 1996, The Asian Age(New Delhi)
Rangoon, June 5: Burma's military government broadened recent
attacks democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday with a
newspaper commentary saying she could not be trusted to be a
leader because she has a British husband.
Referring to Ms Suu Kyi as the "puppet princess", a commentary in
the state-run /New Lights of Myanmar/ said the 1991 Nobel peace
laureate could not be trusted to keep state secrets if she were ever to
become the country's leader.
Will the wife not let her husband know in the least matters that are
connected with the affairs of the state' said the article, written under
the pen name "Patriot''.
In scrutinizing the of safeguarding the country from dangers and
from the point of view of security of the state, it is quite obvious
that
she cannot be trusted in the least, "the commentary said.
Burma's official media is seen as the mouthpiece of the military
government.
Ms Suu Kyi has repeatedly been attacked verbally for her marriage
to British academic Michael Aris. The State Law and Order
Restoration Council says she is not a true Burmese because she lived
abroad and married a foreigner. Over the past two weeks, Burma has
stepped up its propaganda against foreign interference. (Reuter)
***************************
Burma Muslim refugees return homes
June 6 1996, The Asian Age (New Delhi)
By Alistair Lyon
Teknaf (Bangladesh), June 5.
They stepped quietly into the boats, clutching babies and meagre
household goods, with no light of hope or glimmer or anger in their
eyes.
The Rohingyas Muslim refugees pushing off from a wooden jetty
into the swirling water of Naf River seemed resigned to leaving their
sanctuary in the southeastern tip of Bangladesh to return to Rakhine,
a remote northern province of Burma.
"Im not afraid for myself, but I fear for my sons and my daughters,"
said Mr Sultan Ahmed, a 59-year-old former primary school
teacher, passively awaiting his return to board.
"The soldier used to take my sons for forced labour, sometimes for
seven days, sometimes for a month," he said.
Mr Ahmed was among more than 250,000 Burmese Muslims, or
Rohingyas, who fled from mainly Buddhist Burma in 1991 and 1992
to escape reported persecution by Rangoon Army.
The refugees, mostly poor, landless and illiterate, complained of
forced labour, forcible relocation, excessive taxation and physical
punishment, including torture and rape.
The Burmese military junta denies mistreatment of minority
Muslims in Rakhine, but continues to deny them full citizenship
recognising them only as "residents".
So far nearly 200,000 have been repatriated by the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees, which said in November that it hoped
to complete the process by the end of this year.
However, repatriation has slowed to a trickle for most of the past
year. "The main reason is lack of clearance by the Myanmar
(Burma) authorities," Canh Nguyen-Tang in the Bangladeshi capital
Dhaka.
The Burmese government will only accept returning refugees if they
can prove previous residence in Rakhine and often grants clearance
to some family members, but not others, such as unregistered
children of refugees born in Bangladesh.
"If needs a political push," Mr Canh Nguyen-Tang said, noting that
there was no agreement even on the number of refugees.
Rangoon says only 175,000 people have left. Bangladesh says it took
in 250,000.
"Our figure is less than 250,000 but higher than the 175,000 the
Myanmar authorities say they will accept," Mr Tang said. "We try to
convince them their figure is low."
On May 20, the junta agreed in talks with a Bangladeshi delegation
to clear 6,000 people within a week, including 3,000 refugee
children, and to expedite the process thereafter. (Reuter)
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