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Reuters-U.S. Looks To ``Ratchet Up'



U.S. Looks To ``Ratchet Up'' Pressure On Myanmar 
05:37 p.m Sep 08, 1998 Eastern 

By David Storey 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said Tuesday it was seeking ways
to increase pressure on Myanmar following the arrest of more than 200
opposition activists in the last few days. 

``We're looking at this issue with great concern. We're looking at ways to
ratchet up the pressure on the government of Burma (Myanmar),'' State
Department spokesman James Rubin said. 

Washington already maintains strict sanctions on the southeast Asian state
and has urged other regional states to follow suit, although they have been
reluctant to do so. 



Rubin condemned calls in the military government's official media for
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to be deported. ''A decision to deport
Aung San Suu Kyi would only ratchet up the international response,'' he
told a regular news briefing. 



The physically slight but steely Suu Kyi, daughter of national hero Aung
San who led the struggle to throw off British rule after the Second World
War, won the Nobel Peace prize in 1991 for her fight for democratic rights.




An article in two official newspapers argued that she should be deported
because she was intent on destabilizing Myanmar and because her marriage to
a British academic made her a foreigner. 



Rubin said: ``Resolution of the political impasse in Burma will require
real substantive dialogue with the democratic opposition, including Aung
San Suu Kyi and representatives of the ethnic groups.'' 



He added: ``Arbitrary detentions are unjustifiable and will only worsen
rather than solve the political crisis.'' 



Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy said Tuesday 200 of its members
have been detained since the weekend, including 63 elected members of
parliament. 



The crackdown coincides with plans by the NLD to convene a ''People's
Parliament'' later this month in recognition of its landslide win in the
last general election eight years ago. 



Although the military arranged for the election, it ignored the result and
maintained its grip on power when the opposition party won an overwhelming
victory. 



The United States has repeatedly pressed the military authorities, who
ruthlessly crushed a popular uprising for democracy 10 years ago, to engage
in a dialogue with the opposition. 



Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who warned in July of a political
``explosion'' in Myanmar that could undermine regional stability, last
month said a ``moment of truth'' was approaching for the military rulers. 



In May 1997 the United States imposed unilateral sanctions on Myanmar,
barring any new investment but allowing existing projects to go ahead. 



Last Friday the World Bank cut financial ties to Myanmar, saying it would
not consider giving the government any more money because it had failed to
make repayments on past loans. 



Rubin harshly criticized the detention of opposition figures. ``I gather
that when they were rounding people up in the middle of the night, they
said publicly their rationale was just to have a dialogue with these
leaders. 



``They were rounding up people in their 70s and 80s at 3:00 a.m. in the
morning, 4:00 a.m. in the morning. So clearly, they are -- the government
there is not approaching this problem in anything resembling a constructive
way,'' he said.