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>REPORT OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON MYANMAR
>
>PART 1 OF 2  (FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION)
>***************************************************
>
>United Nations
>
>GENERAL ASSEMBLY                               
>
>A/53/364
>Distr.: General
>10 September 1998
>Original: English
>
>Fifty-third session
>
>Item 113 (c) of the provisional agenda*
>
>Human rights questions: human rights situations and reports of
>special rapporteurs and representatives
>
>
>              Situation of human rights in Myanmar
>                                
>                 Note by the Secretary-General
>
>The Secretary-General has the honour to transmit to the
>members of the General Assembly the interim report on the
>situation of human rights in Myanmar, prepared by Rajsoomer
>Lallah, Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights,
>in accordance with Economic and Social Council decision
>1998/261 of 30 July 1998.
>
>__________
>*A/53/150
>
>
>
>                              Annex
>
>Interim report on the situation of human rights in Myanmar
>prepared by the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human
>Rights in accordance with Economic and Social Council decision
>1998/261 of 30 July 1998
>
>
>Contents                                                       
>           
>                                             Paragraphs Page** 
>
>I.   Introduction..................................1-3    3
>
>II.  Methods of work...............................4-5    3
>
>III. The exercise of civil and political rights....6-32   4
>     A. The impact of Myanmar law on human rights..6-9    4  
>     B. Rights pertaining to democratic governance.10-26  4
>     C. Death in custody...........................27-32  8
>
>IV.  Forced labour.................................33-49  10
>
>V.   Minorities....................................50-54  11
>
>VI.  Conclusions and recommendations...............55-63  12
>
>A.   Conclusions...................................55 59  12
>
>B.   Recommendations...............................60-63  13
>
>_________________________
>**[these page numbers refer to the original printed version] 
>
>
>                         I.  Introduction
>
>
>1.  The mandate of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on
>Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Myanmar has
>been described in each of the Special Rapporteur's previous
>reports to the General Assembly(a) and to the Commission on
>Human Rights.(b) The mandate, initially articulated by the
>Commission in its resolution 1992/58 of 3 March 1992 and
>extended most recently in resolution 1998/63 of 21 April 1998
>(approved by the Economic and Social Council in its decision
>1998/26 of 30 July 1998), required the Special Rapporteur to
>establish or to continue direct contact with the Government
>and people of Myanmar, including political leaders deprived of
>their liberty, their families and their lawyers, with a view
>to examining the situation of human rights in Myanmar and
>following any progress made towards the establishment of a
>constitution of democratic governance, the lifting of
>restrictions on personal freedoms and the restoration of human
>rights in Myanmar.
>
>2.  In its resolution 1998/63, the Commission called upon the
>Government of Myanmar to cooperate fully and unreservedly with
>the relevant mechanisms of the Commission, in particular the
>Special Rapporteur, and to ensure his access to Myanmar, in
>order to establish direct contact with the Government and with
>any person in the country whom he might deem appropriate, to
>allow him fully to discharge his mandate; requested the
>Secretary-General to continue to give all necessary assistance
>to the Special Rapporteur to enable him to discharge his
>mandate fully and to pursue all efforts to ensure that the
>Special Rapporteur was authorized to visit Myanmar. 
>
>3.  The main concerns of the international community with
>regard to the situation of human rights in Myanmar are
>referred to in the resolutions adopted by the various
>competent organs of the United Nations over the past six
>years, in particular, General Assembly resolution 52/137 and
>Commission resolution 1998/63, which are the most recent. The
>major concerns may be summarized, in substance, as follows:
>
>       (a) The electoral process initiated in Myanmar by the
>general elections of 27 May 1990 has yet to reach its
>conclusion, and the Government still has not implemented its
>commitments to take all necessary steps towards the
>establishment of a democratic order in the light of those
>elections; 
>               
>       (b) Many political leaders, in particular, elected
>representatives from the National League for Democracy (NLD),
>remain deprived of their liberty; 
>
>       (c) Violations of human rights remain extremely
>serious, including, in particular, the practice of torture,
>summary and arbitrary executions, forced labour, including
>forced portering for the military, abuse of women, politically
>motivated arrests and detention, forced displacement, serious
>restrictions on the freedoms of expression and association,
>and the imposition of oppressive measures directed, in
>particular, at ethnic and religious minority groups; 
>
>       (d) Forced relocation and other violations of the
>rights of persons belonging to minorities, resulting in a flow
>of refugees to neighbouring countries, and continuing
>attacks by the military on ethnic groups, resulting in death,
>destruction and displacement.
>
>
>
>                       II.  Methods of work
>
>
>4.  With a view to establishing direct contact with the
>Government and people of Myanmar, as requested by both the
>General Assembly and the Commission, the Special Rapporteur
>has written on several occasions to the Government of Myanmar
>seeking its cooperation and requesting its authorization to
>visit the country. The Government has on more than one
>occasion indicated that such a visit would be possible at an
>appropriate time, but so far no authorization has been
>forthcoming. In the absence of cooperation on the part of the
>Government, the Special Rapporteur has continued to rely on
>information from governmental, intergovernmental and
>non-governmental sources. He has also received several
>well-documented information from individuals connected in one
>way or another with the situation in Myanmar. He has further
>received several well-documented reports describing the
>situation in Myanmar, particularly in relation to the matters
>over which the General Assembly and the Commission on Human
>Rights have expressed serious concern. No less importantly, he
>has had direct contact with displaced persons along the
>Thailand/Myanmar border who have fled Myanmar and from whom he
>continues to receive information.
>
>5.  The present interim report is based upon information
>received by the Special Rapporteur up to 30 August 1998 and is
>to be read in conjunction with the Special Rapporteur's last
>report to the Commission on Human Rights (E/CN.4/1998/63).
>
>
>         III. The exercise of civil and political rights
>
>A.  The impact of Myanmar law on human rights
>
>6.  The Special Rapporteur has already commented on how, in
>Myanmar, several laws criminalize or adversely affect freedom
>of thought, information, expression, association and assembly
>through fear of arrest, imprisonment and other sanctions. The
>most commonly employed laws banning the enjoyment of civil and
>political rights and suppressing dissent against the regime
>have been the 1923 Official Secrets Act, the 1950 Emergency
>Provisions Act, the 1957 Unlawful Associations Act, the 1962
>Printers' and Publishers' Registration Law, the 1975 State
>Protection Law (Law to Safeguard the State Against the Dangers
>of Destructive Elements) and Law No. 5/96 Protecting the
>Stable, Peaceful and Systematic Transfer of State 
>Responsibility and the Successful Implementation of
>National Convention Tasks Free from Disruption and Opposition.
>
>7.  The 1950 Emergency Provisions Act allows the imprisonment
>for up to seven years of any person who either infringes upon
>the integrity, health, conduct and respect of State military
>organizations and government employees, spreads false news
>about the Government or disrupts the morality or behaviour of
>a group of people. 
>
>8.  The 1975 Law to Safeguard the State Against the Dangers of
>Destructive Elements is also used by the regime to carry out
>indiscriminate and arbitrary arrests and detention of
>political opponents. Under this law, the Council of Ministers
>is authorized to pass an order, as may be necessary,
>restricting any fundamental right of a person if there are
>reasons to believe that any citizen has committed or is
>committing or is about to commit any act which infringes the
>sovereignty and security of the State or public peace and
>tranquillity. The same Law further provides for the detention
>to continue for a period not exceeding one year at a time up
>to a total of five years. 
>
>9.  Further, numerous Executive Orders, criminalizing many
>aspects of normal civilian conduct, prescribing grossly
>disproportionate penalties and authorizing arrest and
>detention without judicial review, lead to the conclusion that
>a significant number of all arrests and detentions are
>arbitrary when measured by international standards. The
>examples below demonstrate the circumstances in which those
>laws continue to be used: 
>
>    (a)   In March 1998, the student leader Aung Tun, 30 years 
>old, a Central Executive Committee member of the All Burma
>Federation of Students Unions, was sentenced to 15 years
>imprisonment for writing a history of the Burmese student
>movement. Arrested early in the  year, he was charged under
>the 1962 Printing and Publishing Act and section 5(j) of the
>Emergency Provision Act 1950; 
>
>    (b)   In early April, Thakhin Ohn Myint, 80 years old, was
>sentenced to seven years prison for his part in assisting in
>the writing of the history of the student movement. He had
>been detained in February but was released in late March.
>However, he was rearrested the following day by military
>intelligence officers and was later sentenced;
>
>    (c)   In April 1998, Daw San San was sentenced to 25 years
>imprisonment. She was arrested on 28 October 1997 after she
>had conducted an interview with the British Broadcasting
>Corporation on 26 June 1997, in which she had been critical of
>the military regime. She was arrested under section 10(a) of
>the 1975 State Protection Act, but in April she was charged
>under the 1923 Official Secrets Act and sentenced to 25 years.
>Daw San San, 58 years old, was initially detained along with
>seven members of Parliament from the NLD, including Dr. Than
>Nyein and Dr. May Win Myint. All were initially sentenced to
>six years imprisonment, but Daw San San's term of imprisonment
>was increased to 25 years after she refused to end her
>political activities. Daw San San had previously been arrested
>in November 1990 and had been sentenced to 20 years under
>Penal Code 122 for high treason. She was however, released on
>1 May 1992 during an amnesty. Since that detention, the
>authorities dismissed her as a Member of Parliament and banned
>her from contesting any future elections.
>
>
>B.  Rights pertaining to democratic governance
>
>10. Many reports indicate that in Myanmar political parties in
>opposition continue to be subject to intense and constant
>monitoring by the regime, aimed at restricting their
>activities and prohibiting members of political parties from
>leaving their localities. Existing orders from the State Law
>and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), including the 1961
>Habitual Offenders Restrictions Act, preclude members of
>political parties from leaving their localities or their
>houses without prior permission from the authorities;
>otherwise they risk arrest and interrogation by the police or
>military intelligence agents.
>
>11. The cases reported below have been brought to the
>attention of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the
>Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in
>Myanmar:
>
>    (a)   A number of NLD elected representatives, including U
>Tun Win, Dr. Kyi Min, U Hlaing Aye, U Myint Aung, U Aung Soe,
>U Kyaw Myint, U Thein Kyi, U Than Naing, U Myint Thein, U Aung
>Myint Thein, U Tha Aung, U Aung San Myint, U Aung Naing and U
>Tar have been arrested or charged either under the Criminal
>Code or the Habitual Offenders Restriction Act. It is
>contended that the authorities have used the Act to restrict
>the activities of NLD-elected representatives in a number of
>the country's divisions, excluding Yangon Division. A
>restraining order has been issued against all elected NLD
>representatives, who are required to stay within the confines
>of their respective municipalities for a year. They are said 
>to have to report to the local police stations at least twice
>a day. Ward authorities have been ordered to visit the home of
>a representative who reports sick to verify whether the claim
>is true. Those refusing to comply with the restraining order
>are threatened with arrest;
>
>    (b)   As to the general background of implementation of
>these restraining orders, it is also contended that starting
>in the night of 25 June 1998, NLD-elected members of
>parliament in different parts of Myanmar, excluding Yangon,
>have been restrained by township judicial authorities who
>acted jointly with the police officials in those townships;
>
>    (c)   In the initial stage, in Bago Division, military
>security personnel allegedly were involved in the
>implementation of the restraining orders; in the other states
>and divisions, only the township judges and the respective
>police station are said to have been involved. There has
>been a consistent pattern of NLD-elected representatives
>being taken to their respective police stations and being
>held there overnight in some instances, for two nights. The
>NLD representatives would be allowed to take their own
>bedding, blankets and mosquito nets; the next morning (or
>morning thereafter), they would be released if two
>"guarantors" would post bond in the amount of 100,000
>kyats each. The township judge would then read out an
>order based on the Emergency Powers Law, section 5,
>sub-section 1(f) and (g), under which the elected NLD
>representatives would be required to "sign in" at the local
>police station every day at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (in some
>instances, at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.). This practice is said to
>have been designed to prevent the individuals thus restrained
>from travelling outside their town's jurisdiction.
>Non-compliance with the restraining order would entail a
>prison sentence of one year; 
>
>    (d)   It is contended that the NLD leadership has urged
>its elected representatives to defy the restraining orders and
>that, as a result, a number of arrests have been made by the
>authorities. The total number of restrictions in effect for
>the whole country now exceeds 50 elected NLD representatives.
>The exact number is unknown, since telephone connections to
>certain townships and places are said to have been
>disconnected. 
>
>12. There is no doubt that such practices, if true, would
>constitute a violation of basic international human rights
>norms, in particular, those proclaimed in articles 9 and 21
>of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
>
>13. On Thursday, 25 June, security forces prevented four
>elected NLD representatives and 40 young men from entering Daw
>Aung San Suu Kyi's compound for a regular "reading session".
>They were pushed back to the junction of Kabe Aye Sati Road
>and University Avenue. When they were informed of the
>incident, U Tin Oo, NLD Vice-Chairman, and Daw Aung San Suu
>Kyi went to the junction to lead the members back to her
>compound. After blocking them at various points, a man in
>civilian clothing ordered the security forces to attack the
>group. The police proceeded to do so, using batons and
>branches from trees which were lying on the roadside. A
>statement from NLD said that eight NLD youth members suffered
>injuries and Aung San Suu Kyi was also slightly injured. The
>location of the incident was a restricted area, thus no one
>else was present.
>
>14. The Myanmar authorities, in a statement issued the day
>after, said the group had refused legitimate orders to leave
>"on security ground(s)" and that after the staging of a
>sit-down protest overnight, they had been allowed to enter.
>Officials had earlier denied that anyone was injured in the
>scuffle and said no arrests had been. The road to Aung San Suu
>Kyi's compound remained sealed off on Friday.
>
>15. On Monday, 29 June, in an apparent response to these
>events, the Myanmar authorities threatened to take legal
>action against Aung San Suu Kyi and NLD. Commentaries run by
>three State-owned newspapers stated that the Myanmar
>Government and its people could no longer tolerate the acts of
>Aung San Suu Kyi, who ignored the interest of the nation and
>the people. The newspapers cited Law No. 5/96 which prohibits
>individuals or organizations from disturbing, destroying,
>obstructing, inciting, delivering speeches, making oral or
>written statements and disseminating in order to undermine,
>belittle and make people misunderstand the functions being
>carried out by the National Convention for the emergence of a
>firm and enduring Constitution. A conviction, under Law No.
>5/96, carries a minimum sentence of five years, with a maximum
>of 20 years imprisonment. 
>
>16. Faced with the gravity of the situation, the Special
>Rapporteur issued a press release in which he expressed his
>concerns, and on 8 July 1998, he sent a letter to the Minister
>for Foreign Affairs in order to seek clarifications. Relevant
>parts of the letter are reproduced here below. 
>
>       "I would like to express my concern following recent
>reports that members of the NLD continue to be subject to
>various forms of restrictions in the normal exercise of their
>civil and political activities, as should be the case for
>members of a legitimate and legally registered political
>party, as indeed for everyone. You will recall, in this
>regard, the observations I made in my reports to the General
>Assembly and to the Commission on Human Rights over the past
>two years in the light of the applicable international norms
>and the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the
>Commission, calling upon Myanmar to observe those norms.
>
>       "According to information received, on the afternoon of
>25 June 1998, while approaching Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's house,
>a group of around 30 NLD writers, journalists and activists
>were prevented by the security forces from attending a
>"reading session" regularly held at her home. When Daw Aung
>San Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo went out to escort the group into the
>compound, they were allegedly verbally abused and beaten by
>security forces. As a result four young men around Daw Aung
>San Suu Kyi were severely beaten, while she herself was
>slightly injured. In protest at the refusal to allow the group
>access to her compound, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo
>remained with the group, surrounded by security officers,
>throughout the night until they were finally allowed to enter
>her residence at 8 a.m. the following morning.
>
>       "It has also been reported that a number of NLD members
>have been allegedly arrested throughout the country during May
>and June 1998. These include six NLD youth leaders, including
>Ko Tun Zaw Zaw, as well as Members of Parliament such as Mr.
>Mahn Johny from KyongPyaw township; David Hla Myint of
>Ngapudaw township and Dr. Tin Min Htut from Pantanaw township.
>
>       "It has been further reported that, as of 25 June 1998,
>NLD-elected Members of Parliament in various parts of the
>country, excluding Yangon Division, are required to remain
>within their township jurisdiction and are required to present
>themselves twice a day to the nearest police station in order
>to report their presence by signing a declaration. Those who
>refuse to sign the declaration are allegedly immediately taken
>to custody without any inquiry or trial. Such was reportedly
>the case for more than 15 representatives elected from various
>constituencies.
>
>       "In as much as all those reported to have been 
>arrested were members of NLD, I take this opportunity to
>repeat my previous and continuing concerns about the fate of
>the over 80 NLD members and sympathizers who have been
>arrested since 1990 and who remain detained.
>
>       "With respect to other NLD members, I urge your
>Government to ensure their personal integrity and freedom of
>expression, including the right to receive and impart
>information, freedom of association, assembly and movement.
>
>       "In order to have an accurate and comprehensive view of
>the situation, I would greatly appreciate receiving
>information which your Government may wish to provide
>regarding the events and cases referred in the above
>paragraphs, both in respect of the facts themselves and the
>applicable legislation. I would also appreciate receiving a
>list of the names of any NLD-elected representatives arrested
>in Myanmar during the months of May and June 1998 as well as
>of those arrested since 1990. 
>
>       "I would further appreciate receiving any other 
>details or observations which your Government deems
>pertinent."
>
>17. The Special Rapporteur has noted that a reply, dated
>10 August 1998, to the substance of his letter was sent, on
>behalf of the Permanent Representative of Myanmar to the
>United Nations at Geneva, to the Director of Activities and
>Programmes Branch of the Office of the United Nations High
>Commissioner for Human rights. It was not addressed to the
>Special Rapporteur nor did it make any reference to him. The
>Special Rapporteur regrets that the Government of Myanmar is
>deliberately ignoring his attempts to establish a constructive
>dialogue with the authorities in Myanmar, as requested by the
>General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights. 
>
>18. On the substance of the reply, the Special Rapporteur
>notes that the Government of Myanmar did not provide the
>Special Rapporteur with a list of the names of NLD-elected
>representatives arrested in Myanmar during the months of May
>and June 1998 or of those arrested since 1990. Nor did the
>Government of Myanmar provide the texts of the applicable
>legislation in force in the country which is used to justify
>the restrictions placed on the activities carried out by NLD.
>
>19. Indeed, although the Special Rapporteur did not receive
>the official figures concerning the status of the NLD Members
>of Parliament elected in the 1990 elections, he has received
>several reports stating that the Election Commission has
>dismissed from Parliament all Members who have been charged
>with an offence and has banned others from running in future
>elections. After the election in 1990, the NLD had 392 of the
>485 seats. Since the 1990 election, 112 Members of Parliament
>have apparently been forced from office or dismissed by the
>Election Commission. This represents more than a quarter, or
>28 per cent, of the 392 NLD Members of Parliament who were
>elected under the NLD banner. Seventy-eight Members of
>Parliament   all from the NLD   have been jailed since the
>election and two (U Tin Maung Win and U Hla Than) have died in
>prison. At the moment, there are 42 NLD Members of Parliament
>who remain under detention in Myanmar for their political
>activities. Furthermore, as a result of threats and
>intimidation from the authorities, 20 opposition Members of
>Parliament, most of whom are from the NLD, have fled Myanmar.
>
>20. It would appear that, given the refusal of the authorities
>to establish a genuine dialogue with the leadership of the NLD
>and the failure to convene the National Assembly, the NLD
>leadership has embarked on a campaign designated to achieve
>those ends by resorting to political actions in line with the
>normal exercise of basic civil and political rights. It would
>appear that the NLD had formally called the regime to convene
>the National Assembly by 21 August 1998 and had sought to
>exercise its right to conduct normal political activities by
>visiting members and sympathizers of the party outside Yangon.
>
>21. On Tuesday, 7 July, Aung San Suu Kyi and Aung Shwe
>attempted to go to Min Hla township (147 km north of Yangon)
>to meet with a party member. They were stopped by the police
>80 km from Yangon and ordered to return home. Aung San Suu Kyi
>and Aung Shwe refused and staged an overnight sit-in protest
>in her car at Shwe Mya Yar village. According to the
>authorities, the trip outside her home, without a customary
>security-forces escort, followed by her refusal to return
>home, amounted to a challenge to governmental authority amid a
>wider push to hasten civilian rule. The following day,
>however, the Government announced that it had allowed her to
>meet with the party member, Hla Hla Moe. Arrangements were
>made to bring Hla Hla Moe to Shwe Mya Yar to meet with the
>NLD leader on the morning of 8 July. After the meeting, both
>parties returned home. 
>
>22. On 24 July 1998, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was stopped by local
>authorities about 51 miles (32 km) west of Yangon as she
>attempted to drive to Bassein, 100 miles (160 km) west of the
>capital, to meet members of her political party, the National
>League for Democracy. The authorities refused to let her
>proceed, and she refused to return to Yangon. As a result, Daw
>Aung San Suu Kyi spent five days stuck in a car on a rural
>highway surrounded by governmental security personnel. While
>Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and members of their party were staying
>near Anyarsu and Pandine villages because of the blockade, the
>authorities, on 30 July 1998, ordered the security forces to
>use force to remove them. The General Secretary was physically
>forced into a car and driven back to her home without her
>consent. The authorities also drove the car belonging to the
>General Secretary back to her home without her permission. The
>remaining Central Executive Committee member and two other
>members of the party were also forced into the cars of the
>authorities and driven back.
>
>23. On 28 July 1998, the United Nations High Commissioner for
>Human Rights issued a press release expressing concern over
>reports of a standoff in Myanmar between the military and Aung
>San Suu Kyi and urging the Government of Myanmar to accept a
>visit of the Special Rapporteur to Myanmar. The press release
>reads as follows:
>
>       "The reports coming from Myanmar regarding the refusal
>of the military authorities to allow Aung San Suu Kyi to
>travel freely give cause for great concern. The incident is
>the latest in what appears to be a developing pattern of
>restriction of the rights to freedom of movement and to
>freedom of association of Mrs. Suu Kyi and members of the
>National League for Democracy. According to the information
>received, Mrs. Suu Kyi is today spending the fifth day in her
>car after being stopped on the road while going to visit
>supporters of her party outside of Yangon.  There are
>legitimate concerns about Mrs. Suu Kyi's health and her
>security during this standoff. 
>
>       "This incident provides stark evidence of the need for
>the Government to enter into a frank and sincere dialogue with
>civil society in Myanmar as a way of overcoming the political
>difficulties the country is facing.
>
>       "I urge the Government of Myanmar to work with Mrs. Suu
>Kyi and her supporters to resolve the current standoff
>peacefully and quickly. I also call on the Government to
>guarantee the rights of freedom of movement and association of
>all citizens and to accelerate the process of national
>reconciliation leading to the enjoyment of all human rights. I
>reiterate my recent request to the Government to facilitate a
>visit by the Commission on Human Rights Special Rapporteur for
>Myanmar, who has been seeking such a visit for a lengthy
>period."
>
>24. On 12 August, in another attempt to travel outside her
>residence to meet members of her political party in the city
>of Pathein (Ayarwaddy Division), Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
>together, with U Hla Pe and a driver, were again stopped
>by the authorities at Anyarsu village, located 20 miles
>south-west of Yangon. After spending 12 days on the spot,
>Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and colleagues returned home without
>being able to reach Pathein and hold meetings with local NLD
>members. 
>
>25. The authorities of Myanmar, through "information sheets"
>received on a daily basis from the Office of the High
>Commissioner for Human Rights, recounted these events and
>justified the actions taken   i.e., not to allow Daw Aung
>San Suu Kyi to travel outside Yangon and to meet with members
>of the NLD outside her residence, by invoking security
>concerns. In an information sheet dated 12 August 1998, it is
>stated that the Government of Myanmar regretted that security
>conditions in Ayarwaddy Division made it unsafe for Daw Suu
>Kyi to travel there at that time but that the Government
>encouraged her to return home and continue her political
>activities in a more secure environment in Yangon. She and her
>companions remained free to return to their homes at any time
>or to stay by the roadside as long as conditions remained
>safe. Furthermore, Myanmar authorities reported in an
>information sheet dated 23 August 1998 that, to ensure the
>health and safety of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her companions,
>Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's personal physicians had been given full
>access to her at any time and the Government was continuing to
>provide an ambulance and a medical team on stand-by
>exclusively for their use. While Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her
>companions continued their stay at Anyarsu village, food,
>water, clothing and other amenities had been made available by
>the Government as well as other private sources.
>
>26. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the fact that on 18 and 24
>August 1998, Secretary 1 of the State Peace and Development
>Council (SPDC) met with the Chairman of the NLD. The Special
>Rapporteur hopes that these recent meetings will lead to a
>genuine dialogue and will not be inconclusive, as was the case
>in July and September 1997. 
>
>END OF PART 1 
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