30-31JUL98:AAP NEWS

[uneoo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

AAP NEWS 30-31 JUL 1998
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30/7/98(AFP) BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO BURMA RECALLED
30/7/98(AAP) US, AUSTRALIA APPEAL FOR UN INTERVENTION IN BURMA
31/7/98(AFP) UN ENVOY EXPECTED IN BURMA BY MID-SEPTEMBER 
31/7/98(REUTERS) NEW ZEALAND AND US JOIN TO PRESS UN OVER BURMA
1/8/98(AFP) SECURITY INCREASED AS RANGOON BRACES FOR NEW TENSIONS
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        ASIA: BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO BURMA RECALLED
BURMA SUUKYI UK
   LONDON, July 30 AFP - British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook today 
announced he had called the British ambassador to Burma back to 
London for talks over the Burma junta's decision to forcibly end a 
six-day protest by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
           "I want to make clear that the Burmese regime's interference in 
Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom of movement and association is 
unacceptable," Cook said in a statement.
           "This fundamental infringement of her basic human rights can 
only do harm to Burma."
           He continued: "It is high time the regime recognised the need to 
open an immediate dialogue with the NLD (National League for 
Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi)."
           Yesterday, the Myanmar junta forced Aung San Suu Kyi to end her 
roadside protest, which she began on a country bridge outside the 
capital Rangoon when the authorities would not let her travel on to 
meet supporters.
           The move prompted widespread international condemnation, led by 
US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who called it an 
"unacceptable violation of her human rights".
           A spokesman at the US embassy earlier accused the junta of lying 
and of starving the NLD leader so she was forced to give up her 
demonstration.
           In Rangoon the junta confirmed it had forced Aung San Suu Kyi to 
return to the capital because she had ignored "gentle persuasion".
           The junta defended its actions, saying it had no choice but to 
end the stand-off and adding that Aung San Suu Kyi had achieved her 
objective by prompting international criticism of the government.
           AFP gl


        FED: US, AUSTRALIA APPEAL FOR UN INTERVENTION IN BURMA
AUSMIN BURMA (SYDNEY)
   Australia and the US have made a joint appeal to United Nations 
Secretary General KOFI ANNAN to intervene to try to resolve the 
Burmese political crisis.
           The appeal follows yesterday's decision by the Burmese military 
government to forcibly end a six day standoff involving opposition 
leader AUNG SAN SUU KYI.
           SUU KYI had refused to move from a bridge outside the capital 
Rangoon after she was prevented from driving to meet supporters in 
provincial areas.
           US Secretary of State MADELEINE ALBRIGHT says it's becoming 
clear the Burmese government has NOT been telling the truth about 
the stand off.
           And she says she and Mr DOWNER have taken time out from today's 
Australia-US Ministerial talks in Sydney and phone Mr ANNAN about 
the crisis.
           Dr ALBRIGHT says Mr ANNAN's promised to consider their request.
           AAP RTV ss/rft/jv

        ASIA: UN ENVOY EXPECTED IN BURMA BY MID-SEPTEMBER AT EARLIEST
BURMA UN
   UNITED NATIONS, July 31 AFP - UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan 
was planning to send a special envoy to Burma in mid-September at 
the earliest, a UN spokesman said today.
           Riot police were deployed today around the home of opposition 
leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the headquarters of her National League 
for Democracy amidst escalating political tension in Rangoon, 
witnesses said.
           UN spokesman Juan Carlos Brandt, asked at a news conference 
about a personal intervention by Annan following requests from the 
United States and Australia, noted that the UN chief was already 
planning to send Peruvian diplomat Alvaro de Soto to Rangoon.
           De Soto, UN assistant secretary general for political affairs, 
has held several rounds of fruitless talks with Burma's junta and 
the opposition in the past.
           Asked about Annan's personal involvement, Brandt responded that 
"short of him going personally there, this would qualify as he 
himself being involved in this particular matter".
           Brandt said that no firm date had yet been fixed for De Soto's 
visit, but "that could be as early as the middle of the month of 
September".
           US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said today that 
Washington believed "the UN needs to play a more vigorous role".
           Annan, apparently fearful of upsetting the junta before De Soto 
arrives there, has taken a cautious line in responding to the 
military's treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi.
           The Nobel laureate was blocked from travelling to meet 
supporters in a provincial centre last Friday and remained in her 
car on a rural highway until being forced back to Rangoon late on 
Wednesday.
           During the standoff, Annan announced on Wednesday that he hoped 
to send De Soto "in the not-too-distant future" to Rangoon, and 
said that he shared the concerns of UN human rights commissioner 
Mary Robinson about Aung San Suu Kyi.
           AFP ao
        

        PAC: NEW ZEALAND AND US JOIN TO PRESS UN OVER BURMA
BURMA SUUKYI NZ
  AUCKLAND, Aug 1 Reuters - US Secretary of State Madeleine 
Albright said today that New Zealand's foreign minister had agreed 
to join her in pressing United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan 
for "urgent" intervention on Burma.
           Albright said the minister, Donald McKinnon, "and I are going to 
be in touch with the secretary general later in order to discuss 
the urgency of the situation" in Burma after military rulers 
forcibly ended a protest by democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
           Her comments, at a news conference, seemed intended to keep the 
pressure on Annan for action amid hints he may not be moving fast 
enough for the US secretary of state.
           Albright said in Sydney yesterday that she and Australian 
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer had asked Annan "to become 
personally involved" in persuading the country's military 
government to open a dialogue with Suu Kyi.
           She said Annan agreed to "take a very careful look" at the 
proposal.
           At the news conference on Saturday, Albright said that in the 
Friday conversation she and Downer "made clear that we felt that 
the situation (in Burma) was one that was increasingly dangerous 
and that needs his personal attention".
          "I'm very glad that Foreign Minister McKinnon feels the same 
way," she said.
           Annan spoke by telephone yesterday to Michael Aris, the husband 
of Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and head of Burma's 
opposition National League for Democracy.
           Earlier this week, Annan announced he would send Alvaro De Soto, 
assistant secretary-general for political affairs, to Burma if the 
government would set a date. UN officials said there had been no 
response from Rangoon.
           De Soto has made several trips to Burma but has made little 
progress with the government, which has been shunned by the West 
for almost a decade.
           UN officials do not expect Annan to visit the country. The 
military has so far failed to respond to appeals to move toward 
democracy by the UN General Assembly or in negotiations with senior 
UN officials.
           Earlier this week, in a move that drew sharp international 
criticism, Myanmar's military authorities forced Suu Kyi to end a 
six-day sit-in protest in a car outside the capital Rangoon
after she and three associates were prevented from travelling to a 
meeting with her supporters.
           REUTERS sk 

        ASIA: SECURITY INCREASED AS RANGOON BRACES FOR NEW TENSIONS
BURMA SUUKYI DAYLEAD
   By Kieron Flynn
           BANGKOK, Aug 1 AFP - Burma's capital Rangoon braced for an 
escalation of political tension today with increased security 
around the city ahead of an opposition-set deadline for parliament 
to be convened.
           Hundreds of riot police were deployed across Rangoon, including 
at the home of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the 
headquarters of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party, and 
at key bridges and other strategic locations, residents said.
           More than 100 of her supporters and several opposition 
politicians were allowed to visit the NLD chief today, opposition 
and junta officials said.
           Yesterday, police prevented some senior foreign diplomats from 
visiting the Nobel peace laureate.
           Diplomatic and other sources in Rangoon said all attention was 
now focused on August 21, by when the NLD has said the junta must 
convene parliament or face unspecified consequences.
           The NLD-led opposition won 1990 polls by a landslide but the 
junta has refused to relinquish power.
           The 10th anniversary on August 8 of a military crackdown on 
pro-democracy demonstrators, which left thousands dead according to 
unofficial tallies, was expected to pass peacefully, diplomats 
said.
           A Bangkok-based opposition activist said NLD officials were 
holding talks to determine what action they should take if, as is 
widely expected, the junta refuses to convene parliament.
           "They will do something, definitely, but I don't know what. Most 
probably a demonstration," said Aung Naing Oo, foreign affairs 
secretary of the All Burma Students Democratic Front.
           UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who is planning to send a 
special envoy to Burma, spoke yesterday with Aung San Suu Kyi's 
husband, Michael Aris.
           Aris was in a UN office in New York while Annan was in Wyoming.
           No further details were immediately available.
           Annan plans to send assistant secretary general for political 
affairs Alvaro de Soto to Burma in September or October.
           Junta officials said they were on heightened alert because 
students planned a protest to mark the August 8 anniversary of the 
1988 crackdown.
           Western powers meanwhile slammed the military leadership for 
their "callous" treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi.
           International concern at deteriorating conditions in Burma has 
grown since the NLD chief was barred from travelling to meet 
supporters in a provincial town on July 24.
           She remained in her car on a rural highway 26km from Rangoon 
until being forced back to her residence late on Wednesday. It was 
the third time in three weeks she had attempted to leave Rangoon 
for talks with supporters.
           The United States condemned "in the strongest possible terms" 
the forcible end to her six-day protest.
           Britain and the European Union also condemned the action while 
France today voiced concern over the military junta's treatment of 
Aung San Suu Kyi.
           "France calls upon the authorities of Myanmar (Burma) to put an 
end to the restrictive measures which have been imposed on the 
political leaders, particularly Daw (eds: honorific) Aung San Suu 
Kyi, in the peaceful exercise of their right to the freedom of 
movement, expression, meeting and association," the French embassy 
in Rangoon said in a statement.
           In the US, The Washington Post called in an editorial for 
sanctions against the military junta, saying "engagement has 
produced nothing, whereas multilateral sanctions -- as advocated by 
Aung San Suu Kyi herself -- could have a real effect".
           "For it is contracts with America's Unocal Corp, France's Total, 
Singapore's and China's arms merchants and other companies from 
Europe, Asia and North America that allow the unpopular generals to 
hold on," the paper said.
           The NLD chief has pledged to again defy the junta and seek to 
visit supporters outside the capital.
           "I shall continue to go out of Yangon (Rangoon) again and again 
as soon as I recover until these conditions are met," Aung San Suu 
Kyi was quoted as saying by a spokesman, who added that she was 
dehydrated and had a fever after the stand-off.
           The junta said it had no choice but to end the confrontation, 
adding that Aung San Suu Kyi had achieved her objective by 
prompting "international criticism" of the government at a meeting 
of South-East Asian foreign ministers and their international 
allies in Manila earlier in the week.
           "The action was taken in the interests of both parties," an 
intelligence official said. "She stubbornly refused gentle 
persuasion."
           The junta accused Aung San Suu Kyi of taking an "uncompromising 
stance" and "acting like a dictator".
           AFP ao
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