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BURMA RELATED NEWS - August 07-
08, 2002.
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HEADLINES
------------------------------------------------------------------------ AFP - Myanmar's opposition expects political dialogue within
weeks
AFP - Thai
FM says Myanmar conflict resolved after official
visit
AFP - Suu
Kyi sees early Myanmar talks and eases aid stance
AFP - Thailand proposes US-ASEAN summit in
2003
Reuters - Suu Kyi demands freedom for political
prisoners
AP - Myanmar
opposition leader says reconciliation depends on prisoners' release
AP - U.N. envoy says Myanmar's Suu Kyi might be
allowed overseas soon
AP - Myanmar says
Muslim group in northwest trained by Taliban
AP - Myanmar
dissidents urge junta to begin 'true dialogue'
Asahi - Myanmar democracy remains a wild
card
The Nation - THAI-BURMESE RELATIONS: Mealtime
diplomacy
The Nation - SUU KYI TAPE: Release of prisoners
'key to talks'
BBC - Burma 'must free political
prisoners'
Bkk Post - Suu Kyi sets terms for
talks
The Nation - EDITORIAL I: Watchful waiting on
Burma's future
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday August 7, 3:31 PM Myanmar's opposition expects
political dialogue within weeks
(AFP) - Myanmar's democratic opposition expects landmark political talks with the ruling junta to begin within weeks, as both sides are eager to start a dialogue on reform, a party spokesman said. "The political talks will begin very soon. We do not have an exact day but it will be within weeks," said National League for Democracy (NLD) spokesman U Lwin on Wednesday "At the moment I think both sides are really keen on starting the dialogue." U Lwin said it was not yet known which members of the military government would take part in the discussions, which would be led by NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi on the pro-democracy side. "We don't know yet, but if necessary I think the top generals will join the talks," he said, referring to the top-three military leaders who dominate the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). The party veteran said he expected that democratic reforms, which would end four decades of military rule in Myanmar, would be addressed in the talks only after a number of urgent issues were discussed. He said the first topic broached would likely be the release of the remaining political prisoners, including more than 200 NLD members and hundreds of other dissidents. "The first thing we must talk about is the release of the remaining prisoners, not only our NLD prisoners but the others, especially those from the ethnic groups," he said. Other issues on the agenda would be the right to free political activity by a range of pro-democracy groups in Myanmar. "We don't even have full rights yet and if we talk about the others like the Shan and other nationalities political movements, they have been deregistered. So it will be a case of reconsidering those deregistrations." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wednesday August 7, 3:08 PM
Thai FM says Myanmar conflict
resolved after official visit
(AFP) - Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said he was confident that a three-month diplomatic spat with Myanmar was over and a new era in bilateral relations would now begin. "I have told Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra that all bygone incidents have been put behind us," he told reporters after returning from a one-day visit to Yangon aimed at ending the row. "We will turn towards cooperation and as of now, relations between the two countries are normalised." Bilateral relations have been in crisis since May when border clashes erupted up between the Myanmar junta and ethnic rebels, which Yangon accuses Thailand of assisting. The two countries exchanged official protest notes, and Myanmar sealed all border gates and barred official visits. In the ensuing weeks it mounted a verbal tirade against Thailand, its historic adversary. After talks with Myanmar's top three military leaders Tuesday, Surakiart said he was confident simmering issues including border traffic and a Myanmar campaign against Thai-made goods would be resolved in the next few weeks. "My goal was not to negotiate for the reopening of the border or the ending of anti-Thai goods sentiment, but to clear up misunderstandings over the May 20 incident," he said. "When all misunderstandings are resolved, measures taken by Myanmar will be automatically ended." In the May 20 incident which kicked off the hostilities, Myanmar protested what it described as Thai artillery attacks on four of its military outposts as well as others manned by ethnic Wa fighters along the border. Surakiart said he had been given reassurances that Myanmar would cooperate with Thailand in issues including economic development, drugs suppression and the flood of illegal workers crossing into Thailand. The minister's trip to Yangon came shortly after Thailand's powerful army chief General Surayud Chulanont was transferred to the ceremonial position of supreme commander, a move critics said was aimed at appeasing Myanmar. Surayud has been steadfast in refusing to yield to Myanmar, contrary to a policy of appeasement reportedly preferred by Thaksin and Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Suu Kyi sees
early Myanmar talks and eases aid stance
Wed Aug 7, 3:05 AM
ET
By Aung Hla Tun
YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is confident that political talks with the ruling junta will begin soon and is willing to ease her tough position on sanctions in return, one of her top aides said on Wednesday. U Lwin, secretary of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), told Reuters that the 57-year-old Nobel laureate had dropped some of her objections to foreign aid to Myanmar as long as steps were taken to ensure the money was not misused. "Concerning foreign assistance, Aung San Suu Kyi will not protest any foreign assistance that is really necessary and that will really benefit the people," U Lwin said. "However, there must be transparency and accountability and independent monitoring of the assistance provided." Suu Kyi has long been a supporter of international sanctions on Myanmar, saying aid, investment and tourism should not be encouraged in the absence of political change. But NLD officials say she is now willing to see targeted humanitarian aid to the country, especially if the NLD can monitor how it is used. Suu Kyi began confidential talks with the junta in October 2000, but the discussions have yet to move beyond so-called "confidence building" to touch on substantive political issues. After strong international pressure, Suu Kyi was released from 19 months of house arrest in May, but since then she has had no meetings with senior members of the junta. She has repeatedly called for meaningful talks to begin as soon as possible. Analysts say international sanctions on Myanmar have battered its economy and are the main factor goading the junta into making concessions to Suu Kyi. BREAKTHROUGH United Nations special envoy Razali Ismail, who played a key role in brokering the start of dialogue in 2000, told reporters at the end of his latest visit to the country on Tuesday that meaningful political dialogue would start "very, very soon". Razali also said Suu Kyi had indicated she was willing to co-operate with the junta in some areas. In an interview with the BBC World Service, Suu Kyi said she wanted political negotiations to begin as soon as possible. "I don't have a strict timetable," she said. "What is important is that in the very near future we can start on the process of dialogue and cooperation for the sake of the people." When asked about the possibility of sharing power with the junta, at least in a transitional period, she said: "I'm not thinking about power sharing or anything along those lines. What we are thinking of is the start of political dialogue which will speed up democratic change and the cooperation with regard to matters which will directly benefit the people." Myanmar has been ruled by the military for four decades. The NLD won the country's last elections in 1990 by a landslide but was never allowed to take power. The military says it is committed to eventually creating democracy but that moving too fast could cause anarchy in the multi-ethnic country. NLD's members have been intimidated, tortured and jailed, but over the last two years more than 200 have been released. The NLD says more than 200 of its members are still behind bars, along with hundreds of other political prisoners. U Lwin said the NLD raised the prisoner issue with Razali. "We talked about the sluggishness in the release of political prisoners and delays in starting meaningful talks," he said. GULF REMAINS Diplomats in Yangon said that while it was encouraging that the two sides seemed ready to start serious talks, there was still a gulf between them and progress was likely to be slow. They said one danger facing Suu Kyi was that her more conciliatory stance towards the junta could give it more international legitimacy, and that the talks she gets in return may turn out to be nothing more than a sham. "We need to see if the government is serious about these talks, or if they just drag on and on with nothing ever being agreed and no change taking place," a Western diplomat said. But the diplomat said Suu Kyi still held a trump card. If she was unhappy with the pace of change she could pull out of the talks and end the thaw in the world's attitude towards Myanmar. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wednesday August 7, 3:03 PM
Thailand proposes US-ASEAN summit in
2003
(AFP) - Thailand and the United States have agreed in principle to hold a US-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit here next year, Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said. Surakiart discussed the proposal with visiting US Secretary of State Colin Powell late last month and invited President George W. Bush to pay an official visit to Thailand in October 2003 when the kingdom plays host to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooporation (APEC) summit. "Colin Powell has agreed in principle and will proceed to fix the timetable, as Powell thought it has been quite some time since a US president paid an official visit here," the minister said Wednesday. The last Thai visit by a sitting US president was by Bill Clinton in 1996. The US-ASEAN summit, to be held on the sidelines of the already scheduled APEC meeting, would be the first since 1984 in Manila, and the first since the regional grouping expanded to 10 members, Surakiart told reporters. Surakiart said during a preparatory meeting for the APEC summit that the leaders of new ASEAN members Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar would be invited even though they are not signed up to APEC. "As far as I know ASEAN members agree with the proposal, so Thailand will spend the rest of the year consulting with the US and ASEAN on the timing," he said. APEC groups Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam. Mexico will host this year's APEC meeting in October. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wednesday August 7, 8:00 PM
Suu Kyi demands freedom for
political prisoners
By Aung Hla Tun and Andrew Marshall
YANGON/BANGKOK, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Myanmar pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said on Wednesday the military government must release all prisoners of conscience if it is serious about ending the country's political deadlock. "We insist that the release of political prisoners is necessary if the process of reconciliation is to go forward to a point where it becomes truly irreversible," the 57-year-old Nobel peace laureate said in a video statement released in Bangkok. Hopes are high of a political breakthrough in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, after United Nations special envoy Razali Ismail said on Tuesday after his latest visit that the ruling junta would soon begin substantive talks with Suu Kyi. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), which won Myanmar's last election in 1990 by a landslide but was never allowed to govern, has also said it will not oppose some foreign aid to Myanmar as long the money reaches those who need it. But the two sides remain far apart on several issues, including political prisoners. The government has released more than 200 NLD prisoners in the last two years but around 250 are still in jail, along with hundreds of other political prisoners. "Until all our political prisoners are free, none of us can say that Burma is now truly on the road to democratic change," Suu Kyi said. "We would like to call upon everybody who cares for the future of Burma to support the...demand for the release of all political prisoners, speedily and unconditionally."
REAL TALKS TO START Suu Kyi began confidential talks with the junta in October 2000, but the discussions have yet to move beyond so-called "confidence building" to touch on substantive political issues. After strong international pressure, Suu Kyi was released from 19 months of house arrest in May, but since then she has had no meetings with senior members of the junta. She has repeatedly called for meaningful talks to begin as soon as possible. UN envoy Razali, a Malaysian diplomat, said on Tuesday he was confident such talks would begin "very, very soon". Razali also said Suu Kyi was willing to co-operate in some areas with the junta. The NLD says this means Suu Kyi will not object to humanitarian aid as long as it is carefully monitored. "Concerning foreign assistance, Aung San Suu Kyi will not protest any foreign assistance that is really necessary and that will really benefit the people," NLD Secretary U Lwin told Reuters. "However, there must be transparency and accountability and independent monitoring of the assistance provided." Suu Kyi has long been a supporter of international sanctions on Myanmar, saying aid, investment and tourism should not be encouraged in the absence of political change. Analysts say international sanctions on Myanmar have battered its economy and are the main factor goading the junta into making concessions to Suu Kyi. Myanmar has been ruled by the military for four decades. The junta says it is committed to creating democracy but that moving too fast could cause anarchy in the multi-ethnic country.
GULF REMAINS Diplomats in Yangon said that while it was encouraging that the two sides seemed ready to start serious talks, there was still a gulf between them and progress was likely to be slow. They said one danger facing Suu Kyi was that her more conciliatory stance towards the junta could give it more international legitimacy, and that the talks she gets in return may turn out to be nothing more than a sham. "We need to see if the government is serious about these talks, or if they just drag on and on with nothing ever being agreed and no change taking place," a Western diplomat said. But the diplomat said Suu Kyi still held a trump card. If she was unhappy with the pace of change she could pull out of the talks and end the thaw in the world's attitude towards Myanmar. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Myanmar opposition leader
says reconciliation depends on prisoners' release
Wed Aug 7, 9:50 AM ET
By GRANT PECK, Associated Press Writer
BANGKOK, Thailand - Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is making a new plea for the outside world to pressure Myanmar's military junta into freeing all the hundreds of dissidents it holds. The military has released some 300 opponents over the past two years, including Suu Kyi, the democracy activist who was let out of house arrest May 6. But more than 1,000 dissidents are estimated to remain in jails. In a videotaped statement distributed in Bangkok on Wednesday, Suu Kyi insisted that all must be freed quickly if progress is to be made in reconciliation talks in Myanmar, which also is known as Burma. "The release of political prisoners is the most important thing for all those who truly wish to bring about change in Burma," she said. The video was made available by Altsean-Burma, a Southeast Asian human rights group. The date of its recording in Yangon, Myanmar's capital, was not given. "We would like to call upon everybody who cares for the future of Burma to support the request ? the demand ? for the release of all political prisoners, speedily and unconditionally," said Suu Kyi, who was awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for her pro-democracy campaign. "Unless political organizations are free to go about their work unhindered and unintimidated by the authorities, we can never say that we have started the process toward changed democracy," she said. Myanmar politics have been at an impasse since Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won national elections in 1990. It was blocked from taking power by the military, which instead harassed and arrested many party members. The military began occasional prisoner releases beginning in October 2000, after it began closed-door talks with Suu Kyi's camp. The talks have produced little, and a substantive dialogue between Suu Kyi and the generals has not taken place. In an interview with British Broadcasting Corp., released Wednesday, Suu Kyi expressed hope that a new round of talks would begin within weeks and said she has no preconditions for how the country should progress toward democracy. "I don't have anything fixed in my own mind as to whether I would share or not share (power with the generals). We are not going to go into the dialogue with preconceived ideas," she was quoted as saying. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.N. envoy says Myanmar's
Suu Kyi might be allowed overseas soon
Wed Aug 7, 7:30 AM ET
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - U.N. special envoy Razali Ismail suggested Wednesday that Myanmar's military government might soon allow opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to travel to neighboring countries. "When the times comes, she herself may come and see the ASEAN countries," Razali, a former Malaysian diplomat, was quoted as saying by Malaysia's national news agency, Bernama. "I don't know; there is a possibility in the near future." Myanmar and Malaysia are members of ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Others include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Razali returned to Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday after making his eighth visit to Myanmar since being appointed by the United Nations in April 2000 to broker an end to the country's political impasse over the junta's refusal to allow democracy. He said Wednesday that Suu Kyi and the military rulers would hold a meeting to discuss Myanmar's future, but did not give details. "She is more positive now," Razali said of the 1991 Nobel Peace laureate. "She can travel" within Myanmar. "It's like breathing fresh air for her. She has gone out there to meet people and was well received." The military has ruled Myanmar, also known as Burma, since 1962. The current junta came to power in 1988 after crushing pro-democracy protests. It called general elections in 1990 but never honored the results when Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won. Hundreds of NLD members were put in jail and Suu Kyi herself suffered long periods of house arrest, the latest round ending after 19 months on May 6 following mediation by Razali. In a departure from past periods of freedom, she has been allowed to travel around the country. In tenser times, the government often said that Suu Kyi was free to leave Myanmar any time she liked, but she refused, fearing she would never be allowed back in. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Myanmar says Muslim group
in northwest trained by Taliban
Thu Aug 8, 1:29 AM ET
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - Myanmar's military junta claimed to have crushed an armed Muslim separatist group, which it said was trained by Afghanistan's former Taliban rulers and in Middle Eastern terrorist camps. The government "vigorously confronted the activities of this group threatening the national as well as regional security," said government spokesman Col. Hla Min in a statement issued Wednesday. Hla Min gave no details of the crackdown on the separatists from the Rohingya minority community, and did not provide evidence to back the allegations about their Afghan and Middle Eastern links. The claim could not be independently verified. Hla Min's statement was aimed at showing that Myanmar, a pariah among Western nations, was an active participant in the global war against terrorism. Myanmar is a member of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, which signed an anti-terrorism pact with the United States on Aug. 1. "The government of Myanmar is committed to fight against all forms of terrorism and will work with our ASEAN partners and the United States in its effort of cooperation," Hla Min said. Several Rohingya Muslim rebel groups are based in Arakan, a Muslim-majority region of Myanmar on the border with predominantly Islamic Bangladesh. The Rohingyas have been fighting for decades for a separate state, accusing Myanmar's predominantly Buddhist military of persecution, rape and forced labor. Hla Min's statement said even though all religions enjoy equal rights in Myanmar, an armed Muslim terrorist group had issued a unilateral declaration of independence. "We then subsequently learned that some of these individuals were actually trained by the Taliban in Afghanistan, as well as in the terrorist training camps in the Middle East," he said. Many of the guerrillas have given up terrorism and are now in "full cooperation with the government," he said. The term Rohingya is derived from Rohang, the ancient name of Arakan, a province of 4 million people. Nearly 250,000 Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh after a Myanmar army crackdown on the Muslim rebels in 1990, but most returned later. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Myanmar dissidents urge
junta to begin 'true dialogue'
Thu Aug 8, 1:55 AM ET
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Exiled Myanmar dissidents Thursday urged their country's military junta to begin a political dialogue with opposition parties, many of whose members are in jail. The appeal, by four groups based in neighboring Thailand, was made on the 14th anniversary of a bloody pro-democracy uprising against the dictatorship that was put down by the army. Hundreds were killed and an estimated 1,000 political prisoners remain behind bars. The military has released some government critics recently, including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who emerged from house arrest a little over three months ago. In a statement, the groups called on the junta to "begin a true political dialogue" with the opposition, to unconditionally release all political prisoners and to allow political parties to freely practice their activities. The junta called elections in 1990 but annulled the results when the polls were won by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy. Since then Myanmar politics have been at an impasse. Recent closed-door talks with Suu Kyi's camp have produced little. The anniversary of the Aug. 8, 1988 uprising went marked in Myanmar, which was formerly known as Burma. The regime routinely cracks down on pro-democracy rallies. On Wednesday, Suu Kyi called on the junta to free all the political prisoners, saying their continued detention was the major obstacle to democratic reform. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ INSIGHT: Myanmar democracy remains a wild
card
By AYA KIMURA and TAKEHIKO YABE, The Asahi Shimbun YANGON-While Japan is trying to promote political change in Myanmar (Burma) through economic aid, the military junta has stopped short of promising specific measures to embrace democracy. Yoriko Kawaguchi became the first Japanese foreign minister to visit Yangon
(Rangoon) in 19 years when she arrived Saturday. She closed out her trip on
Monday.
From Tokyo's vantage, in the words of a senior Foreign Ministry official,
the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest in May
was a ``good opportunity to promote democracy.''
Kawaguchi pressed the democracy issue by pledging to expand economic
assistance on condition the military government agreed on aid policies with Suu
Kyi, who heads the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD).
Kawaguchi urged Gen. Than Shwe, chairman of the ruling State Peace and
Development Council (SPDC), to discuss policy issues with her.
Than Shwe only promised the SPDC's ``best efforts.'' Tokyo seems to believe that Myanmar, which is in dire economic straits,
cannot afford to turn down its offer since its currency value is plummeting and
prices are soaring.
Another objective is to prod U.S. and European countries to drop their
critical stance toward Myanmar and join hands in offering assistance to help it
shift to democratic government.
Japan, itself facing budgetary constraints, cannot afford to remain the
only country to offer economic assistance.
The military junta appears unwilling to bend, however.
Win Aung, Kawaguchi's counterpart, said before her visit that Myanmar had
no problem accepting Japan's assistance as long as offers of help ``came with a
good understanding of policies of the military government.''
He noted, during an interview with The Asahi Shimbun, that Myanmar is not
without friends and mentioned China and India.
When Kawaguchi discussed conditions for assistance during a meeting Sunday
with Win Aung, he pointed out that Suu Kyi opposes foreign aid on grounds it
helps the military junta.
Meantime, members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are
taking a wait-and-see attitude toward Myanmar's political problems.
ASEAN's decision not to mention Suu Kyi's release in its joint statement
following a foreign ministers conference July 30 attests to that, particularly
since it was at Myanmar's insistence.
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THE NATION
THAI-BURMESE RELATIONS: Mealtime diplomacy Marisa Chimprabha, Piyanart Srivalo Published on Aug 8, 2002
In a new move towards reconciliation, Thai and Burmese cabinet members will hold a familiarisation meeting, possibly in the in the northern border province of Chiang Rai in October. "It would be the first time that the cabinets of both countries will meet
to get to know each other and discuss cooperation," Foreign Minister Surakiart
Sathirathai said yesterday.
He said he discussed the meeting with Burma's Prime Minister General Than
Shwe on Tuesday.
"I raised the idea with General Than Shwe during a meeting in Rangoon. He
appreciated it as a move for both cabinets to familiarise themselves with each
other so that when a problem arises, it can be dealt with effectively,"
Surakiart said.
Surakiart travelled to Burma for a one-day trip to defuse tension between
the two neighbours.
Burma's State, Peace and Development Council Secretary General, Lt General
Khin Nyunt, and Army Commander, General Maung Aye, were also present at the
meeting.
Meanwhile a source at Government House said that the Thai Cabinet expected
to hold the meeting to coincide with a mobile Cabinet meeting in the northern
province of Chiang Rai, from October 4-6.
"Both cabinets would have enough time to introduce themselves and to
achieve familiarisation because we are planning a lunch in a Thai border
province and a dinner in a Burmese province," the source said.
The meeting comes after relations between Burma and Thailand reached new
lows following months of border conflicts and an ongoing propaganda war.
Rangoon has alleged that the Thai army secretly supported and sheltered
Burmese dissidents, enabling them to maintain their fight against the Burmese
government.
The Thais countered that Burma blamed Thailand for its own internal
problems because of its inability to control the dissidents.
Burma ordered the closure of the border, a standard tactic when problems
with Thailand surface. Other anti-Thai campaigns included the boycott of Thai
goods and a ban on Thai advertising in Burmese publications.
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The Nation
SUU KYI TAPE: Release of prisoners 'key to talks' Published on Aug 8, 2002 Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has made an urgent plea to the international community to pressure the military government to release more than 1,000 political prisoners. "The release of political prisoners is the most important thing for all
those who truly wish to bring about change in Burma," Suu Kyi said in a
videotape distributed in Bangkok yesterday - one day before the twelfth
anniversary of the August 8, 1988 popular uprising against military rule.
The taped message was made available by Altsean-Burma, a regional human
rights group promoting human rights and policy change in Burma.
"We would like to call upon everybody who cares for the future of Burma to
support the request, the demand for the release of all political prisoners,
speedily and unconditionally," the 1991 Nobel peace laureate said.
"Unless political organisations are free to go about their work unhindered
and unintimidated by the authorities, we can never say that we have started the
process toward changed democracy," she said.
In a statement released yesterday, the All Burma Students Democracy Front
demanded the junta and Suu Kyi's opposition party, the National League for
Democracy, publicise the substance of their dialogue.
The organisation also demanded that the junta release all political
prisoners and allow political parties to engage in their activities freely.
Suu Kyi said the release of political prisoners was necessary if the
process of national reconciliation was to go forward, adding that many detainees
had been locked up merely because of their political affiliations.
The junta has released about 300 political prisoners since October 2000 as
a goodwill gesture, but more than 1,000 more are estimated to still be in jail.
Suu Kyi was released from 19 months of house arrest on May 6. She was also
under house arrest from 1989 to 1995.
She has been allowed to travel domestically, visiting branches of her
National League for Democracy party and several development
projects. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
BBC -
Thursday, 8 August, 2002, 07:01 GMT 08:01 UK
Burma 'must free
political prisoners'
Burmese opposition groups have called on
the ruling military junta to begin political dialogue and release all political
prisoners.
The call came as the opposition marked the 14th anniversary of the start of the pro-democracy movement on 8 August 1988. The army eventually crushed the movement, killing hundreds. On Wednesday, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi issued a new plea for international pressure on Burma's military rulers to release more than 1,000 dissidents still held in jail. Aung San Suu Kyi was herself freed from 19 months of house arrest in May and is now using the detention of political prisoners as a measure for Burma's progress. The Nobel peace laureate issued a video statement insisting that the military rulers of Burma release all dissidents quickly or the country would fail to bring about democracy. In a separate interview, Aung San Suu Kyi told the BBC she hoped to begin talks with members of the ruling junta "within weeks" and the UN Burma envoy said hostility between the two sides was being reduced. In the video, made in Burma's capital Rangoon on an unspecified date, Aung San Suu Kyi said: "The release of political prisoners is the most important thing for all those who truly wish to bring about change in Burma." The message, released by the Alt-Asean human rights group, continued: "We would like to call upon everybody who cares for the future of Burma to support the request, the demand for the release of all political prisoners, speedily and unconditionally. "Unless political organisations are free to go about their work unhindered and unintimidated by the authorities, we can never say that we have started the process toward democracy." Piecemeal releases Aung San Suu Kyi said many detainees had been locked up because of their political affiliations, but had been charged with non-political crimes. The military began piecemeal prisoner releases from October 2000 after it entered into closed-door reconciliation talks with the opposition. Around 300 dissidents have been released, but 1,000 are still imprisoned and initial gestures of goodwill have yet to become substantive talks between the two sides. Aung San Suu Kyi told the BBC she was concerned about the slow progress but was ready to talk and would rule nothing out, including a temporary power-sharing agreement with the generals.
"I keep my mind quite open. I don't have anything fixed in my own mind as to whether I would share or not share. We are not going to go into this dialogue with pre-conceived ideas." Her statement came after the UN envoy, Razali Ismail, said he was confident he had narrowed the differences between the military and opposition. He said Aung San Suu Kyi might soon be allowed to travel to neighbouring countries and be permitted to return to Burma, an option long denied her. Aung San Suu Kyi's party won national elections in 1989, but she was never allowed to assume power after the junta brutally suppressed the pro-democracy protests. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bangkok Post - Thursday 08
August 2002
Suu Kyi sets terms for
talks
Junta told to free all political prisoners JETJARAS NA RANONG
Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday said
the military government must release all prisoners of conscience if it is
serious about ending the country's political deadlock. ``We would like to call upon everybody who cares for the
future of Burma to support the ... demand for the release of all political
prisoners, speedily and unconditionally.'' ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Nation
EDITORIAL I: Watchful waiting on Burma's
future
Published on Aug 8, 2002 Today is the 14th anniversary of the pro-democracy movement in Burma when peaceful student demonstrators were crushed by tanks and machine guns. We salute the courage of those who died and those who are committed to bringing about the realisation of democracy in Burma. When Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest in early May, there
was much hope that situation in Burma would improve. The Burmese people would be
given more freedom to cope with day-to-day life while the process of
reconciliation, marked by dialogue between Suu Kyi and the military leaders,
would begin in earnest.
But that has not yet happened.
The Nobel laureate has displayed flexibility since her release. When she
met with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi recently, she said that she
would welcome international development aid for infrastructure projects if the
Rangoon junta leaders begin a political dialogue with her. She made a similar
statement when she met with the UN envoy for Burma, Razali Ismail.
This is a good opportunity for the junta to push forward the much-awaited
political dialogue and democratisation. Somehow, Suu Kyi knows very well the
tactics employed by the junta leaders. She has been careful enough to create a
delicate balance to preserve an atmosphere conducive for future talks.
The international community must not be content with the junta's
superficial changes. Any future aid coming to Burma must be in consultation with
Suu Kyi. Otherwise, the political process will be stalled as in the past. Japan,
the regime's largest aid donor, must keep this in mind.
Otherwise, it might derail the national reconciliation process and let the
regime get away scot-free.
An improved situation in Burma will affect Thai-Burmese relations. The
notion that Thailand and Burma can let "bygones be bygones" and start anew is
laughable.
Burma has proclaimed this mantra time and time again. This is the history
in which Burma has found solace in its policy towards Thailand - and a
triumphant mood.
As long as Burma represses its own people, a lasting solution with Thailand
will not be attained. A deal done with the junta leaders would not be legitimate
and long-lasting. It would also create future resentment toward Thailand among
the Burmese public.
As a democracy, Thailand must assist the freedom-loving people of Burma.
This is the 14th year that their aspirations remain unfulfilled. The Thai
government must encourage the regime to work together with Suu Kyi to bring back
normalcy to that once-prosperous nation. Then and only then can the government
justify its soft approach.
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