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BURMA CONDEMNED BY THE UNITED STATE



BURMA CONDEMNED BY U.S.[SYDNEY TRIBUNES]

Be democratic or risk social explosion, Albright warns junta
Date: 28/07/98


By LINDSAY MURDOCH, Herald Correspondent in Manila and agencies

The United States warned yesterday of a social explosion in Burma that would
undermine Asia's stability.

The US Secretary of State, Ms Madeleine Albright, told a 22-nation group,
including Australia, that Burma was in great and growing distress with its
military rulers speaking of returning to self-isolation.

Delivering a blunt attack in the presence of Burma's Foreign Minister, Mr
Ohn Gyaw, Ms Albright told the ASEAN Regional Forum that the junta continues
to make arrests aimed at eliminating pro-democracy activists.

She also warned that Burma's economy was falling apart, said that legal
political parties were refused travel and that an entire generation of young
people had been denied education. Burma had also become the epicentre of the
regional AIDS crisis and the flow of heroin and amphetamines from the Golden
Triangle continued unabated.

"Citizens who speak out for a more lawful society are being treated like
criminals," she said.

Ms Albright urged the junta to hold talks with Ms Aung San Suu Kyi's
National League for Democracy (NLD) to solve the country's problems and said
the United Nations was willing to broker them.

Ms Albright said she hoped the junta, which ignored the NLD's landslide win
at national elections in 1990, would "see its interest in talking to a
non-violent movement backed by Burma's people".

"With each passing day the likelihood of a social breakdown - or explosion -
that would undermine regional stability grows higher; the likelihood that a
future government will be able to tackle Burma's problems becomes smaller,"
she said. "This is a moment of truth and urgency for Burma and for all of us
concerned about its fate."

Although Burma was admitted as a full member of ASEAN only last year, its
refusal to make progress in allowing democratic reforms or lift its
repression has severely embarrassed the group during its series of annual
meetings.

Meanwhile, reports from Burma said Ms Suu Kyi was continuing a fourth day in
her car at a south-western village yesterday to protest against moves to
stop her meeting local party members.

An NLD source said she was refusing to budge from where she had been stopped
by security officials early on Friday at Anyarsu, 65 kilometres from
Rangoon, after she had rejected a request by the military junta to return home.

Witnesses said the opposition leader was sitting in her car with two drivers
while security men and an ambulance were standing nearby.