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Burma's Suu Kyi Honors Slain Dad
- Subject: Burma's Suu Kyi Honors Slain Dad
- From: moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 19 Jul 1997 10:45:00
Burma's Suu Kyi Honors Slain Dad
Saturday, July 19, 1997; 11:10 a.m. EDT
RANGOON, Burma (AP) -- Embattled pro-democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi paid solemn tribute to her
father --
Burma's independence leader and greatest hero -- on
the 50th
anniversary of his assassination Saturday.
Although her movements have been sharply restricted
by the
country's military rulers, Suu Kyi was allowed to
take part in
ceremonies at the white marble mausoleum where Aung
San is
buried.
Suu Kyi, the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner, has endured
house arrest, harassment and the jailings of many
followers, but
observers say her father's prestige protects her from
imprisonment, or worse, by the military junta.
Gen. Aung San, then 36, and six of his ministers
were shot and
killed less than six months before Burma gained
independence
from Britain in January 1948. A former prime
minister, U Saw,
was charged with the assassinations and executed.
The charismatic, handsome Aung San led Burma's largely
peaceful independence struggle and is widely
revered. His
death is annually marked as Martyrs Day.
Dressed in a white jacket and black sarong and
shawl, Suu Kyi
laid three baskets of orchids at the gravesides,
touched the
ground three times with her forehead and clasped
her hands in
a sign of Buddhist reverence.
Representatives of Burma's ruling military council
attended the
ceremony.
At her lakeside home, Suu Kyi held a private religious
observance for about 500 supporters and diplomats.
Offerings
of food and robes were presented to 50 Buddhist monks.
The ceremonies came three days after a rare meeting
between
the military and Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy.
Although the reason remains unclear, Lt. Gen. Khin
Nyunt met
with three members of the party, including chairman
Aung
Shwe. Suu Kyi was not included.
``We all welcome the meeting. There is a ray of
hope,'' said Tin
Oo, vice chairman of the party, at the mausoleum.
``It's a good
start but a dialogue is not complete without Aung
San Suu
Kyi.''
Suu Kyi refused to comment on the meeting and asked
whether others might follow she said: ``I don't
believe in
speculation in politics.''
Suu Kyi, who had lived abroad with her British husband,
returned to Burma in 1988 and was propelled to the
forefront
of a pro-democracy uprising against military rule.
Her initial
popularity stemmed from being Aung San's daughter.
The junta crushed the uprising and annulled results
of a 1990
general election, which Suu Kyi's party won. Suu
Kyi herself
was placed under six years of house arrest.