Suu Kyi warns investors Burma econo

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Subject: Suu Kyi warns investors Burma economy poor--report (fwd)

	 HONG KONG, Aug 4 (Reuter) - Burmese democracy campaigner
Aung San Suu Kyi has warned off potential investors in Burma,
saying the economy was ``very clearly in bad health'', Hong Kong
television station ATV reported in a statement on Sunday.
	 ``It's not just inflation, it's the very uncertain state of
the value of the kyat (the Burmese currency), it's rising
unemployment and the construction boom is beginning to fizzle
out,'' Suu Kyi said in an interview to be aired on Monday.
	 ``The buildings under construction now are what was started a
couple of years ago and if you look at the hotels you will
probably see large empty buildings and one wonders what will
happen to all those who invested in such projects,'' she said.
	 Suu Kyi urged Burma's military rulers, the State Law and
Order Restoration Council (SLORC), to listen to international
calls for dialogue with the democratic opposition.
	 ``What we are doing is putting off the time when we can do so
much to improve the situation of the country,'' she said. ``Why is
there a need to put this off? There is a dire need to change the
situation.''
	 The Nobel Peace laureate said her National League for
Democracy was confident it could make a success of dialogue, but
added, ``everything has a price attached to it and we can't
expect democracy to fall into our laps without a struggle.''
	 Last month, Suu Kyi called for international sanctions to be
imposed on Burma to force political change on the government.
	 Burma's Minister for National Planning and Economic
Development lashed out on Saturday at reports saying the
nation's economy was not as strong as the government portrayed.
	 Brigadier-General David Abel said the reports, written by
the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon, were misleading and aimed at
discrediting the Rangoon government.
	 One of the reports, on economic trends, said growth rates
were much lower than the government maintained and might not be
sustainable