East Asia Today : Larry Jagan- She

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BBC World Service
East Asia Today 
Latest Edition

July 28th 1998 

International Concern for Aung San Suu Kyi's Health and Safety Grows After
Five Days in Car

Burma's military junta has attacked the United States for what it says is a
witch hunt against the country - after US Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright strongly criticised the regime at this week's ASEAN summit. Mrs
Albright said the junta was responsible for the health and safety of Aung
San Suu Kyi - the leader of the National League for Democracy. She's
spending her fifth night blockaded in her car about 30 miles from Rangoon
after she attempted to travel to meet some of her members in the town of
Bassein. Mrs Albright's concerns were echoed today by the Australian
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer:

Alexander Downer: We want to ensure that Aung San Suu Kyi is able to move
from the position in which she is in. I understand that her car is on a
bridge. Also we want her to be safe. We have a concern for her safety and
for her health. We hope that she has some food and some water as she's in a
very difficult situation. 

East Asia Today presenter Kathryn Davies asked the BBC's Burma specialist
Larry Jagan what is now known about Aung San Suu Kyi's state of health
after several days in her car:

Larry Jagan: Very little really because no-one has been allowed to go and
see her. None of the NLD activists have been allowed near them nor have the
diplomats. However, two doctors - Aung San Suu Kyi's own physicians - went
up today to see her. They are saying that she is in reasonable and
certainly in very good spirits. There are some worries as to what extent
she's still got food and water. I believe she's out of food altogether but
she is still getting access to water. In fact she's getting supplies from
the military. She's been taking them since Sunday and only today I believe
she took nine bottles.

Kathryn Davies: Is there any indication how long she is prepared to stay
there?

Larry Jagan: She seems quite prepared to stay there as long as it takes.
She's insisted she's going to go to Bassein to meet at least five NLD
members and their families. This time - unlike the previous two times when
she was stopped and they were brought to meet her - she is going to stay
until she is allowed to go there. The military authorities have been trying
to talk to her. I understand that each time she's come to the car she's
wound up the car window. She's refusing steadfastly to talk to them.

Kathryn Davies: How damaging is this incident diplomatically for the
military junta?

Larry Jagan: I think it is embarrassing because it happened at the time of
the ASEAN meeting. They were being condemned by Madeleine Albright
previously, and Alexander Downer today. There's no doubt that one of the
reasons that Aung San Suu Kyi chose Friday as the day to go was because
ASEAN Foreign Ministers were meeting in Manila. She was intentionally
drawing international attention to the incident.

Kathryn Davies: The junta has accused her of collusion with foreign
governments to create this kind of embarrassment. Does it look as if, at
the very least, there have been contacts between the two sides?

Larry Jagan: Certainly there has been some contact - but by and large this
has not been direct contact. The sort of allegations about Western
collusion are just the military's usual campaign. There is no truth in it
whatsoever. Diplomats are there to monitor the situation for their
governments and obviously are doing that. They pass the information on -
back to their governments. Obviously journalists also talk to them and get
some kind of briefing. But there is no evidence of collusion whatsoever.

Kathryn Davies: We do know that some foreign ambassadors have been giving
Burma's ambassadors a hard time in Manila. Does it look as if this kind of
pressure from foreign governments might work?

Larry Jagan: I think Burma has always resisted international pressure. I
think this time again they are going to resist pressure - certainly from
the United States and from Europe. I think they're much more concerned
about what their neighbours are saying - particularly Thailand. Already at
the Manila meeting there was some discussion about how they would interact
- and that they're not prepared to allow a situation in Burma develop which
is likely to spill over into the region. 

Kathryn Davies: What does the NLD plan to do next?

Larry Jagan: I think it's very difficult to predict. The NLD have been
holding sessions in Rangoon to discuss their strategy. I think that by and
large they do not want to cause disturbances. They are not calling for
people to come out into the streets. At the same time, they are telling the
military authorities that they are not prepared to be restricted. Aung San
Suu Kyi is trying to go out of Rangoon, which she is legally entitled to
do. The military says she can go but won't let her do that. The NLD by and
large doesn?t want to escalate the situation - but what they're really
saying is that dialogue is the only way for this conflict is to be
resolved.