Reuters-Suu Kyi, U.S. lawmaker pres

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Suu Kyi, U.S. lawmaker pressure Myanmar 
08:06 a.m. Aug 13, 1998 Eastern 

By Aung Hla Tun 
YANGON, Myanmar (Reuters) - Myanmar's military rulers faced pressures from
inside and outside the country Thursday as a roadside standoff between
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and security guards went into its second
day. 
The 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner, a member of her National League for
Democracy (NLD) and two drivers were still in a van on a small wooden
bridge over a creek near Anyarsu, 32 km (20 miles) west of the capital,
government and NLD sources said. 
The four were stopped by police on Wednesday on their way to see supporters
in Pathein, 190 km (120 miles) west of Yangon. The trip was a repeat of a
visit in late July that led to a similar standoff that lasted six days. 
Independent witnesses reported tight security in the area but said they
could not get close enough to the bridge to confirm that Suu Kyi and her
companions were in the vehicle. One unconfirmed report said the vehicle had
been moved off the road. 
International pressure on the ruling military was stepped up Thursday as a
U.S. lawmaker headed for Asia to try to secure the release of 18 foreign
activists detained in Yangon on Sunday for distributing pro-democracy
leaflets. 
New Jersey Republican Representative Chris Smith, chairman of the House
Sub-Committee on International Operations and Human Rights, flew to Bangkok
vowing to ``make every effort'' to get into Myanmar and help secure their
release. 
``The purpose of my trip is to verify the safety and help secure the
release of all 18 detainees,'' he said. 
Myanmar has not said if it will prosecute the detainees -- six Americans,
an Australian, three Thais, three Malaysians, three Indonesians and two
Filipinos -- or deport them. 
Government-run newspapers have accused the activists of being part of a
plot to destabilize the country and said the authorities would take
``necessary actions against them.'' 
The government says the legal process is being prolonged because a few of
the activists are not fully cooperating. 
Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said Thailand would not press Myanmar
to release the detainees because it did not interfere in the affairs of
other countries. 
He gave his moral support to the detainees, saying: ``But as a democratic
country we also praise and support anyone who acts in favor of democracy
and human rights.'' 
The Myanmar authorities have stepped up action against the NLD since the
party set an ultimatum in June for the government to convene a parliament
by August 21 of members elected at polls in 1990. 
The NLD swept those elections. But the military government has ignored the
result and rejected demands for democracy. 
This is the fourth time Suu Kyi, daughter of independence hero Aung Sang,
has tried to visit supporters in recent weeks. 
Released from six years of house arrest in July 1995, Suu Kyi is severely
restricted in her movements by the military and her visitors are monitored.

Diplomats said she and her companions appeared better prepared this time
than on their trip in July. Their minivan was full of food and water and
the trip looked as if it had been well planned, local sources said. 
Suu Kyi's previous trip was ended on July 29 when security personnel
forcibly took her back to Yangon. She became severely dehydrated during the
trip and spent several days recuperating. 
The government said on Wednesday Suu Kyi and her companions were free to
return to Yangon or stay on the roadside ``as long as the conditions remain
safe.'' 
But it said the group's trip was made ``without proper security
arrangements'' and asked them to return home. 
An NLD statement said Suu Kyi was making her latest trip ``to encourage the
NLD elected representatives against whom action has been taken by the
government.'' 
It said the military had broken the law by stopping Suu Kyi's vehicle and
said the government would be responsible if anything happened to her. ``It
is not clear whether the bridge can stand the weight of the vehicle,'' it
said. 
Eight leading nations began a concerted action on Wednesday to press
Myanmar to lift restrictions on Suu Kyi and open a dialogue with the NLD. 
A Japanese Foreign Ministry official told Reuters in Tokyo the government
was closely watching the Myanmar's treatment of Suu Kyi. ``We are worried
that things could escalate,'' he said. 
``The recent stand-off between Aung San Suu Kyi, in which her freedom to
travel was limited and she was forcibly taken back to her home, was a
violation of her freedom,'' he added.