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NEWS- Myanmar Junta, Opposition Tie



Myanmar Junta, Opposition Ties Still Cool -Suu Kyi

            Reuters
            08-JUN-98

            YANGON, June 8 (Reuters) -
            Myanmar opposition leader Aung San
            Suu Kyi says it is too early to declare
            if ties with the ruling military junta
            have thawed just because it allowed
            her political party to hold a
            controversial gathering last month. 

            But she noted both sides had
            benefited mutually from the military's
            permission for the National League
            for Democracy (NLD) party to hold
            the May 27-28 meeting. The
            gathering marked the eighth
            anniversary of the NLD's 1990
            election victory, which was never
            officially recognised. 

            ``I hope this has made the authorities
            realise that we are prepared to
            cooperate with them and if they are
            prepared to cooperate with us there
            is no reason why we cannot achieve
            harmony,'' Suu Kyi said in a amateur
            video interview recorded in Yangon
            on Friday. The video was brought to
            Thailand over the weekend and seen
            by Reuters on Monday. 

            ``I think it is too early to say whether
            the arrangements of May mean that
            the authorities have become so
            flexible that they are prepared to go
            for dialogue,'' Suu Kyi added. 

            The ruling State Peace and
            Development Council (SPDC), which
            had in the past banned gatherings to
            mark the sensitive NLD polls victory,
            made a surprise move by letting 400
            NLD members take part in the
            gathering in Suu Kyi's residence in
            the capital. 

            In May 1997, the military drew
            international criticism when it
            detained hundreds of NLD members
            to prevent them from attending a
            similar gathering. 

            The NLD has charged that the
            military abuses human rights on a
            large scale and has curbed political
            activities. 

            Political analysts and diplomats had
            speculated soon after the gathering
            was allowed last month that it could
            be the harbinger of dialogue between
            the two sides -- dialogue that has
            been elusive in the past few years. 

            Before last month's gathering there
            was little evidence to suggest the
            SPDC was taking a softer line, Suu
            Kyi said. 

            ``Since last September, repression
            has increased, repression of our
            political party has increased a great
            deal so you cannot say that just
            because things worked out well with
            the congress that the military regime
            is more flexible,'' she said. 

            ``But I hope that because now they
            have had quite a bit of experience of
            dealing with us they will be able to
            understand better we are not being
            just difficult,'' Suu Kyi added. 

            The NLD has frequently asked for a
            dialogue with the ruling junta but the
            SPDC has said it will only open talks
            with the opposition if Suu Kyi does
            not represent the NLD. But the NLD
            has refused this condition. 

            Over the weekend, the state run
            press suggested there was no
            imminent change in this
            pre-condition for talks. 

            ``How can I believe that the dialogue
            called for by the democracy princess
            is sincere?'' questioned one column,
            but it added that the SPDC
            acknowledged the NLD as a political
            party but did not recognise Suu Kyi. 

            Suu Kyi said the Association of South
            East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the
            regional economic grouping to which
            Myanmar belongs, should try to
            persuade the SPDC to begin
            unconditional dialogue with the NLD. 

            She said the recent unrest in
            Indonesia illustrated the potential for
            conflict in countries where people
            were denied a legitimate democratic
            voice and how destabilising to the
            region that could be. 

            ``I have always maintained that
            unrest in one country in the region
            means unrest for the whole
            region...the cause of democracy in
            Burma is the cause of peace and
            harmony for the whole ASEAN
            region,'' she said.