The BurmaNet News: August 25, 1998

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The BurmaNet News: August 25, 1998
Issue #1081

{{{ Breaking News -- Student Protests in Rangoon -- Suu Kyi Returns -- More
NLD-SPDC Talks }}}

Noted in Passing: "Unity among students and the people!  Bring down the
military dictatorship government!"  - Chants from yesterday's student
demonstration in Rangoon (see AFP: STUDENT DEMO ANOTHER POINTER) 

HEADLINES:
==========
AFP: MYANMAR STUDENT DEMO ANOTHER POINTER TO JUNTA'S DEMISE 
ASSOCIATED PRESS: SUU KYI ENDS PROTEST 
SPDC: INFORMATION SHEET NO. A-0578 (I/L) (RE: SUU KYI'S RETURN) 
NATIONAL LEAGUE FOR DEMOCRACY: ANNOUNCEMENT ON AUGUST 24 TALKS 
SPDC: INFORMATION SHEET NO. A. 0576 (I): (RE: TALKS WITH NLD) 
KAREN NATIONAL UNION: STATEMENT ON SPDC REMARK 
AFP: MYANMAR PASSENGER PLANE MISSING WITH 39 PEOPLE ON BOARD 
REUTERS: THAI POLICE SHIFT DISSIDENTS FROM MYANMAR EMBASSY 
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AFP: MYANMAR STUDENT DEMO ANOTHER POINTER TO JUNTA'S DEMISE 
24 August, 1998 

BANGKOK, Aug 24 (AFP) - A student pro-democracy protest in Yangon Monday
reflected Myanmar's increasing political tensions and the rising confidence
of the isolated state's opposition movement, analysts said.

"It was a pretty bold move," said one diplomat in the Myanmar capital.
"Perhaps a little foolish, too, as some of them have gone to jail. But the
point is they felt strong enough to make the gesture."

Dozens of student protestors were detained when riot police swiftly broke
up the demonstration at a major intersection Monday. No injuries were
reported when the protest ended after some 90 minutes, witnesses said. Up
to 150 protestors and some 1,000 onlookers scattered as the riot police
advanced on the demonstration, the biggest such protest in Yangon since
December 1996.

The protestors were wearing headbands carrying the "fighting peacock"
symbol of the pro-democracy movement and chanted slogans, witnesses said.
"Unity among students and the people," they chanted. "Bring down the
military dictatorship government."

The protestors, and the supportive crowd of onlookers they attracted, were
a clear indication that people were gaining courage to oppose the junta,
said an Asian envoy.

"We haven't seen anything at this level for quite a while," the envoy
added. "We've seen leaflets left around the place or handed out but not a
group of people just sitting there and protesting."

Many foreign envoys believe that although the opposition enjoys wide
support, it is the spread of the Asian financial crisis to Myanmar which
has given it the extra boost.

The value of the kyat currency has plummeted, prices are rising,
infrastructure is unable to cope and foreign investors are pulling out,
they said.

"It's an economic disaster and as long as the rest of Asia is in the
doldrums then Myanmar will suffer too," said a European diplomat.

"The (Myanmar) government says most people don't care about democracy," he
added.

"And that is true to a large extent. They care about food, they care about
water, and, if they have it at all, they care about electricity supplies.
They certainly care about the price of rice and fuel. What is the point
having a vote if you don't have the basics for survival?

"The government has no answers for these problems but the opposition
doesn't either. The difference is the government has already had its turn
so maybe people feel it's time for a change."

Myanmar's junta long saw Indonesia's ultimately doomed Suharto regime as a
model. But the diplomats do not expect the same disintegration in Yangon as
occurred this year in Jakarta in the lead-up to Suharto's resignation in May.

"They will reach some deal," said another European diplomat, a regional
political affairs specialist.

"Perhaps the military can handle defence and some other portfolios and the
opposition can handle some other matters. I don't think there would be a
great problem if the opposition handled most domestic affairs.

"After all, plenty of other countries have similar arrangements and we (the
West) support them." 

[Also from AFP:]

Myanmar riot police broke up a rare student protest in Yangon Monday in a
show of force against the increasingly assertive pro-democracy movement,
witnesses and diplomats said. Dozens of people were arrested after police
with batons and shields charged the biggest such protest since December
1996, they added.

"They just swept through and dispersed them," said one source, adding no
serious violence was seen. Witnesses said up to 150 protestors and some
1,000 onlookers scattered as the riot police advanced.

"About two truckloads of the protestors were carted away by the riot
police," said one foreign witness. "I didn't see any violence but it was
difficult to see what was happening to those being loaded into the trucks."

 ...

The protestors also distributed leaflets, saying their demonstration was
organised by a Yangon student union in support of the opposition campaign
to convene parliament.

"The bystanders were cheering the protestors," another witness said. "It
was rather sort of a festive atmosphere until the lonehtein (riot police)
came.

"It was a real cross-section of society. I saw kids, monks, nuns, all
sorts. People were leaning out of windows."

Police had closed roads up to six kilometres (four miles) away from the
Hledan junction beside Yangon University to try to seal off the entire area
before dispersing the crowd. All roads were later reopened.

The demonstration began around 12:30 p.m. (0600 GMT) when the protestors
sat down in the middle of the junction, the sources said. Traffic was
forced to edge around them until police arrived and began blocking roads.

A junta spokesman said a group of protestors had "chanted some slogans and
handed out anti-government pamphlets" at the junction Monday but put their
number at between 50 and 70.

"The group dispersed after the police came to the scene," he added in a
brief statement, saying no arrests were made and no similar incidents were
reported elsewhere in Yangon or the country.

****************************************************************

AP: SUU KYI ENDS PROTEST
24 August, 1998 

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- Her health failing, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi
heeded an appeal from her political party and returned home this afternoon,
ending a 13-day roadside standoff with the military government over her
right to travel outside Yangon.
Leaders of Suu Kyi's political party, the National League for Democracy,
urged her earlier in the day to end the protest because of concerns that
her health had been deteriorating in recent days.

Suu Kyi's doctors said she was suffering from kidney problems, low blood
pressure, dizziness and urinary tract problems when they were allowed to
examine her Friday.

Government officials said today that Suu Kyi returned to Yangon of her own
free will with two personal physicians accompanying her in her van. The
appeal from Suu Kyi's party for her to end her protest came as political
pressure was stepped up against the military regime when some 200 students
in Yangon staged the first anti-government street protest in two years. The
crowd fled when truckloads of police arrived. No arrests were reported.

Before today, Suu Kyi, 53, was last seen by her personal physicians Friday
on a bridge 19 miles outside Yangon where her van has been halted since
Aug. 12.  The government denied the doctors access to Suu Kyi on Saturday
and Sunday.

The National League for Democracy said in a statement Monday that the
military regime had since refused permission for doctors and the party
chairman, Aung Shwe, to visit her. "Since Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's health is
of concern, members of the NLD and sympathizers of the NLD strongly wish
the general secretary to return to Yangon," the statement said. Daw is an
honorific.

Last week, the party had demanded that the government release party members
jailed since May as a condition for Suu Kyi to end the standoff. As of
Sunday, party officials said none had been freed.

The NLD had set a deadline of last Friday for the government to convene the
parliament elected in 1990, in which the NLD won 82 percent of the seats.
The military refused to honor the vote. The deadline passed without action.
The party then said it would call the parliament without permission, an
action that the government said today would be illegal.

Past attempts by the NLD to gather members of parliament have been met with
mass arrests.

Earlier today, the government warned the opposition that its plans would
jeopardize possible talks with military leaders. The military has ruled
Myanmar, also known as Burma, since 1962.

"Such an action by any individual party would be in contravention of
Myanmar law, and seems designed to derail the ongoing discussions between
the government and the National League for Democracy," said a government
spokesman on condition of anonymity.

Suu Kyi's roadside protest has highlighted the restrictions on her
movements.  The 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner and three colleagues were
stopped for the fourth time in two months trying to travel to the western
city of Bassein to meet party members.

The military held out an olive branch to the NLD earlier this month when
Gen. Khin Nyunt, one of the junta's most powerful generals, met with Aung
Shwe. Previous attempts at furthering discussions failed, however, when the
general refused to include Suu Kyi, something her party-and the
international community-has demanded. 

****************************************************************

SPDC: INFORMATION SHEET NO. A-0578 (I/L) 
24 August, 1998 

MYANMAR  INFORMATION  COMMITTEE, YANGON

Government Welcomes Suu Kyi's Return to Yangon, as Talks with NLD Continue

The government of Myanmar welcomed the return to Yangon this afternoon of
Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, an official of her National League for Democracy, and
their two chauffeurs. The group returned to Yangon together with the two
physicians  at approximately 3:30 this afternoon, after spending 12 days
visiting the local village of Anyarsu.

Earlier this morning, the Government helped two personal physicians of Ms.
Aung San Suu Kyi to meet with her. The two physicians, Dr. Tin Myo Win and
Dr. Pyone Mo Ei, brought some fresh fruits, (2) boxes of cookies, a dozen
bottles of mineral water, medications and clothing to Ms. Su Kyi.  Ms. Suu
Kyi had been complaining of constipation and dehydration, common ailments
that are easily treatable.

Also this morning, two top NLD officials met with Minister for Home Affairs
Col. Tin Hlaing. The two officials, U Than Tun and U Soe Myint, both
members of the NLD's Central Executive Committee, met with government
officials at 1:00 this afternoon for talks described as " frank and cordial."

The Government regrets that the NLD has been putting out statements
frequently which are provocative and in some cases quite contrary to the
truth.

The Government hopes that the NLD appreciates the beginning of the period
of a conciliation and understanding and to continue its cooperation and
mutual help in building a better future for the people of Myanmar. 

****************************************************************

NLD: ANNOUNCEMENT ON AUGUST 24 TALKS 
24 August, 1998 

(Unofficial Translation)

The National League for Democracy
No. 97/B West Shwegondine Street
Bahan Township, Rangoon.

Announcement No. 38 (8/98)

1.  The Minister of Home Affairs invited the chairman of the National
League for Democracy to "please come to the Ministerial Offices at 1300 on
August 24, 1998 to discuss the currently developing situation."

2.  On behalf of the chairman, two members of the Central Executive
Committee went to the meeting.  The two sides expressed their respective
positions to each other at the meeting.

Central Executive Committee
National League for Democracy
Rangoon
The 3rd Waxing Moon of Tawthalin, 1360
August 24, 1998

****************************************************************

SPDC: INFORMATION SHEET NO. A. 0576 (I) 
24 August, 1998 

Government Welcomes Further Talks With National League For Democracy

The Government of Myanmar noted with concern the decision by the National
League for Democracy to convene a national parliament.  Such an action by
any individual political party would be in contravention of Myanmar law,
and seems designed to derail the ongoing discussions between the Government
and the NLD.

The Government hopes sincerely to continue the meetings started last week
with the National League for Democracy, when NLD Chairman U Aung Shwe met
with Lt-Gen. Khin Nyunt, Secretary- 1 of the State Peace and Development
Council on 18 August.

It is the Government's view that those talks marked the beginning of a
period of conciliation, cooperation and mutual help in building a better
future for the people of Myanmar, and the Government would be disappointed
if radical and provocative actions by NLD leaders made further discussions
impossible.

During the current economic crisis in Asia, it is more important than ever
for all Myanmar citizens to work together for the good of the people,
rather than to play politics.  The Government encourages the NLD to join
the government in a meaningful discussion, and to avoid actions that would
disrupt national peace, stability and development.

****************************************************************

KNU: STATEMENT ON SPDC REMARK 
24 August, 1998 

KNU Statement on Remark by SPDC that it might Assassinate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

On 23-8-98, an SPDC spokesperson said that the SPDC had to bar Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi on her way to Bassein (Pathein), because of the danger of
assassination by the KNU. (Note: See The BurmaNet News: August 24, 1998,
Issue #1080)  In respect of this allegation, the KNU has to clarify as
follows.

1. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is neither the enemy of the KNU nor the Karen
people. Moreover, the KNU as well as the Karen people, supports Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi's stand and effort for the establishment of democracy,
federalism and her opposition to domination of the military dictatorship,
and her current effort for convening the parliament. Therefore, the remark
by the SPDC and the spreading of the idea by its news media are merely
calumny against the KNU.

2. If there is any danger of assassination to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, there
is no doubt that it must come from the SPDC or its loyal lackeys, who have
regarded her as the principal enemy and threatened, time and time again, to
annihilate her. Accordingly, if there is any incident against Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi's security, the SPDC must be held totally responsible.

3. The KNU and the Karen people still have to bear the cruel and barbaric
military attacks and widespread human rights violations by the SPDC, and
have to carry on their resistance. In its resistance, the KNU has never
taken military activities to the urban areas and areas where there is
people's movement. If there is any military activities in the said areas,
it must be the deliberate act of the SPDC to create confusion.

KNU Supreme Headquarters
August 24, 1998

****************************************************************

AFP: MYANMAR PASSENGER PLANE MISSING WITH 39 PEOPLE ON BOARD
24 August, 1998 

BANGKOK, Aug 24 (AFP) - An Air Myanmar [note: The airline is Myanmar
Airways] passenger plane carrying 39 people has disappeared after taking
off from Yangon, prompting a joint search by Thai and Myanmar aviation
authorities, Thai officials said Monday.

****************************************************************

REUTERS: THAI POLICE SHIFT DISSIDENTS FROM MYANMAR EMBASSY 
24 August, 1998 

BANGKOK, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Thai police said on Monday they had moved 14
Myanmar dissidents from a protest site in front of the Myanmar embassy in
Bangkok but denied they had been arrested.

Police said the protesters were moved as they had been blocking the
entrance to a diplomat's compound and had been taken to a holding centre
for Myanmar refugees south of Bangkok.

The All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF), an organisation of
Myanmar dissidents, complained that the 14 had been arrested, but police
denied this.

``We just took them to immigration department to check their identity and
have already sent them back to the holding centre,'' a police officer told
Reuters.

Some 100 Myanmar dissidents in exile supported by Thai activists have
staged a sit-in protest outside the embassy since August 3 to back demands
for a parliament by Myanmar's main opposition party.

About 200 dissidents have been living at a shelter for Myanmar dissidents
in Thailand's Rachaburi province since 1995.

While they are not allowed to take part in political activity as a
condition for remaining in Thailand, police say that from time to time
dissidents sneak out of the centre to stage protests against Myanmar's
military government.

By Monday afternoon about 20 protesters, half of them Thai, were still at
the embassy.

``We believe they will all leave by later today,'' a police officer said.

****************************************************************