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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.