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Organization: Forum for Democracy and Human Rights
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Date: Thu, 11 Jul 1996 13:23:35 +0000
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Subject: Suu Kyi's rival character illegal : Burma
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Suu Kyi's rival character illegal: Burma
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The Asian Age (July 11, 1996)
Rangoon, July 10: A senior official of Burma 's military government said on 
Wednesday it was  illegal for democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to write a 
constitution to rival pro-democracy character being drafted.

"That is not acceptable and is illegal," Lieutenant-General Kyaw Ba, a member of 
ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council, said in an interview.

"The Constitution must be drafted by all kinds of people, all ethnic groups and 
the different levels of people," Gen. Kyaw Ba said when asked about Ms. Suu 
Kyi's plans to draft a democratic Constitution.

A Slorc-organized National Convention has been meeting since January 1993 to 
draw up a charter that will guarantee the military a "leading role" in politics. Ms. 
Suu Kyi pull out her National League for Democracy out of State Law and 
Restoration Council convention last November, and in May said she and other 
party leaders were drawing up a rival charter. If Ms. Suu Kyi took power Burma
could become like the former Yugoslavia, with the country's many disparate 
minorities pushing for independence, Mr. Kyaw Ba said. "Only we can control 
them ( the minorities) and not let the country disintegrate like Yugoslavia." 
(Reuter)

"Generals unlikely to give up power soon"
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By Rajan Moses
Rangoon, July 10: Despite Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi's democracy push, it is 
unlikely Burma's ruling generals will transfer or share their absolute power in the 
future, diplomats and analysts said on Wednesday.

An Asian diplomat said Ms. Suu Kyi was now powerless. "Despite a long and 
lingering frustration and resentment against uniformed people, the ruling State 
Law and Order Restoration Council is going to be here for good in one form or 
another," the diplomat said.

"The people don't want a repeat of 1988 when there was chaos, shooting and 
arrests. The Slorc has all the means to stop any repeat of this and Ms. Suu Kyi 
seems powerless now," he said. The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate has had a tough 
time with the military in pushing the democracy cause.

Ms. Suu Kyi has been attacked in the official media and has failed in attempts to 
open talks with the Slorc. She has also watched the arrests of more than 250 
activists from her National League for Democracy, subsequent release of most 
of them.

Ms. Suu Kyi says her British husband has been refuse a visa to visit her since 
December and the military has boxed her and the Opposition in bypassing a law 
forbidding anyone from attempting to interfere with the government-run national 
convention which is writing a pro-military constitution.

But a defiant Ms. Suu Kyi said on Tuesday the NLD planned to go ahead with 
drafting its own version of a Constitution, as decided by a party congress held 
in May.

"Yes, the party congress gave us the responsibility for drawing up a draft 
constitution and we will go ahead with that," she said. "People are not interested 
in the present national convention or the constitution they are drawing up." 
Diplomats said the military very sensitive to such talk.

"It is very delicate situation as any wrong move could lead to a volatile 
situation. If either side oversteps there could be trouble," said the Asian 
diplomat.

A senior official of Burma's military government said it was illegal for Ms. Suu 
Kyi to write a Constitution. (Reuter)

Junta wants Suu Kyi out before talks with US
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Rangoon, July 10: Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi must cease her 
activities and leave Burma if the United States wants to discuss matters of 
mutual interest with the Burmese government, state-run newspapers said on 
Wednesday.

"If we are going to discuss matters of mutual benefits, it will be necessary to 
close the soap opera on University Avenue," the official newspapers said in a 
commentary.

Ms. Suu Kyi lives on Rangoon University Avenue and the "soap opera" was 
apparently a reference to activities at her home which include regular weekend 
talks to supporters who gather outside her house. The commentary, published 
on the first anniversary of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner's release from six 
years house arrest, was entitled "Time They Released" and focused on relation 
between Burma and the United States. (Reuter)
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