Myanmar's Suu Kyi Appeals to U.N.
By PATRICK MCDOWELL, Associated Press Writer
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi urged the United Nations to keep pressure on Myanmar's military regime to give her country a chance to prosper under democracy.
In a videotaped message secreted out of Myanmar, also known as Burma, and bound for the U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Suu Kyi said the military was interested only in keeping the power it seized in 1962.
Suu Kyi said the economy - still in trouble, though socialism was dropped for market reforms when the current generals came to power in 1988 - would stay backward ``until there is good government.''
``For the military regime, the most important thing is to keep their hold on power,'' Suu Kyi said in the videotape, which was released by the Bangkok-based activist group ALTASEAN. ``In order to keep their grip on power, they are prepared to sacrifice our young people.''
Suu Kyi denounced the closure of universities around the country since student unrest in 1996. Though some have reopened, many remain closed, she said. Engineering and medical schools stayed open for the military.
``This does not augur well for our country,'' Suu Kyi said. ``We will be a house divided. We will become a country where there are two classes - the military and everybody else.''
Suu Kyi said economic development would remain a dream as long as the generals refuse to extend political power, and that development cannot be separated from human rights.
``In spite of the scrutiny of the international community, violations of human rights in Burma continue,'' Suu Kyi said. ``It continues at a disgraceful rate.''
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won elections that the military allowed in 1990. The generals were surprised the parties they supported lost and never allowed the parliament to convene.
The country is under various sanctions from Western countries seeking to bring about democracy, but the government has refused to hold a dialogue with Suu Kyi, viewing her as a traitor for her calls for economic sanctions.
Amid frustration in some circles that sanctions have proven fruitless, Suu Kyi said that international involvement would make a difference.
``I hope that the world will be able to take an example of what happened recently in East Timor and learn to help when help is needed, and not only when help is too late,'' she said.
In Yangon, a government spokesman said it was ``regretful that Ms. Suu Kyi is bent on using a method of confrontation'' and urged her party to act ``in a more responsible and constructive manner.''
``The government of Myanmar has in fact kept and is still keeping the doors open for those who sincerely desire to cooperate together with the government and the people of Myanmar to develop the country,'' the spokesman said.
The government views Suu Kyi's tactics as ``whimsical and symbolic gestures merely designed to create attention and add hardship for the country and the people,'' the spokesman said.
Wednesday, April 5 7:01 PM SGT
Myanmar's Suu Kyi Appeals to U.N.
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi urged the United Nations to keep pressure on Myanmar's military regime to give her country a chance to prosper under democracy.
In a videotaped message secreted out of Myanmar, also known as Burma, and bound for the U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Suu Kyi said the military was interested only in keeping the power it seized in 1962.
Suu Kyi said the economy - still in trouble, though socialism was dropped for market reforms when the current generals came to power in 1988 - would stay backward ``until there is good government.''
``For the military regime, the most important thing is to keep their hold on power,'' Suu Kyi said. ``In order to keep their grip on power, they are prepared to sacrifice our young people.''
Suu Kyi denounced the closure of universities around the country since student unrest in 1996. Though some have reopened, many remain closed, she said. Engineering and medical schools stayed open for the military.
``This does not augur well for our country,'' Suu Kyi said. ``We will be a house divided. We will become a country where there are two classes - the military and everybody else.''
Suu Kyi said economic development would remain a dream as long as the generals refuse to extend political power, and that development cannot be separated from human rights.
``In spite of the scrutiny of the international community, violations of human rights in Burma continue,'' Suu Kyi said. ``It continues at a disgraceful rate.''
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won elections that the military allowed in 1990. The generals were surprised the parties they supported lost and never allowed the parliament to convene.
The country is under various sanctions from Western countries seeking to bring about democracy, but the government has refused to hold a dialogue with Suu Kyi, viewing her as a traitor for her calls for economic sanctions.
Amid frustration in some circles that sanctions have proven fruitless, Suu Kyi said that international involvement would make a difference.
``I hope that the world will be able to take an example of what happened recently in East Timor and learn to help when help is needed, and not only when help is too late,'' she said.
In Yangon, a government spokesman said it was ``regretful that Ms. Suu Kyi is bent on using a method of confrontation'' and urged her party to act ``in a more responsible and constructive manner.''
``The government of Myanmar has in fact kept and is still keeping the doors open for those who sincerely desire to cooperate together with the government and the people of Myanmar to develop the country,'' the spokesman said.
The government views Suu Kyi's tactics as ``whimsical and symbolic gestures merely designed to create attention and add hardship for the country and the people,'' the spokesman said.
Channel Newsasia
Wednesday, April 5
7:55 PM SGT
Aung San Suu Kyi urges UN to push for democracy in Myanmar
Myanmar's pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has urged the United Nations to keep pressure on the country's military government to push for more democracy.
The Nobel laureate made the call in a secret videotape that was smuggled out of Myanmar.
Amid rising frustration in some circles, she claimed that international sanctions have so far proved to be fruitless, and that violations of human rights continue at "a disgraceful rate."
| Ms Suu Kyi said: "Quite recently a man in his seventies was sentenced to two years imprisonment because he had listened to "The Voice of America" on the radio. While he was under trial, his wife, also elderly and unwell, died, because she was so troubled by the pressure exerted upon them by the authorities. In which country of the world are people so oppressed that by listening to a radio service serves them with two years of imprisonment." |
Myanmar's economy, too, remains backward, although the government introduced market reforms in 1988.
Ms Suu Kyi said the country is virtually divided into two classes: the military and the rest.
Engineering and medical schools remain open only for the military, while universities and many faculties have remained closed to the general public since the student unrest of 1996.
In her videotaped secret message to the UN Human Rights Commission, Ms Suu Kyi prodded the conscience of the world.
"I hope that the world will be able to take an example of what happened recently in East Timor and learn to help when help is needed and not only when help is overdue," she said.
Her appeals in Myanmar have fallen on deaf ears.
The government thinks she is a traitor, her ways whimsical, and her symbolic gestures designed to attract attention.
Los angeles Times
Wednesday, April 5, 2000 |
Myanmar's Suu Kyi Appeals to U.N.
BANGKOK, Thailand
In a videotaped message secreted out of
Myanmar, also known as Burma, and bound for the U.N. Human Rights Commission in
Geneva, Suu Kyi said the military was interested only in keeping the power it
seized in 1962.
Suu Kyi said the economy
-still in trouble, though socialism was dropped for market reforms when the
current generals came to power in 1988 -would stay backward "until there is good
government."
"For the military regime, the
most important thing is to keep their hold on power," Suu Kyi said. "In order to
keep their grip on power, they are prepared to sacrifice our young people."
Suu Kyi denounced the closure of universities
around the country since student unrest in 1996. Though some have reopened, many
remain closed, she said. Engineering and medical schools stayed open for the
military.
"This does not augur well for our
country," Suu Kyi said. "We will be a house divided. We will become a country
where there are two classes -the military and everybody else."
Suu Kyi said economic development would remain
a dream as long as the generals refuse to extend political power, and that
development cannot be separated from human rights.
"In spite of the scrutiny of the international
community, violations of human rights in Burma continue," Suu Kyi said. "It
continues at a disgraceful rate."
Suu Kyi's
National League for Democracy won elections that the military allowed in 1990.
The generals were surprised the parties they supported lost and never allowed
the parliament to convene.
The country is
under various sanctions from Western countries seeking to bring about democracy,
but the government has refused to hold a dialogue with Suu Kyi, viewing her as a
traitor for her calls for economic sanctions.
Amid frustration in some circles that
sanctions have proven fruitless, Suu Kyi said that international involvement
would make a difference.
"I hope that the
world will be able to take an example of what happened recently in East Timor
and learn to help when help is needed, and not only when help is too late," she
said.
In Yangon, a government spokesman said
it was "regretful that Ms. Suu Kyi is bent on using a method of confrontation"
and urged her party to act "in a more responsible and constructive manner."
"The government of Myanmar has in fact kept
and is still keeping the doors open for those who sincerely desire to cooperate
together with the government and the people of Myanmar to develop the country,"
the spokesman said.
The government views Suu
Kyi's tactics as "whimsical and symbolic gestures merely designed to create
attention and add hardship for the country and the people," the spokesman
said.
The Korea Herald - 5th April, 2000.
Human rights groups urge Justice Ministry to recognize Myanmar man as refugee
Local human rights groups
called on the Justice Ministry yesterday to award refugee status to a
29-year-old Myanmar democratic activist who is currently facing deportation for
being an illegal immigrant.
"Given the abject human rights conditions in Burma,
if deported, he would face political persecution and torture for his
pro-democracy activities," said 14 human rights groups in a statement. "He is a
founding member of the Korean branch of the National League for Democracy (NLD)
and has led a number of democratic rallies in front of the Myanmar embassy in
Seoul."
The NLD is Myanmar's main opposition party and is
led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, long in the vanguard of the
pro-democracy movement in the military-controlled country. The military regime
in Myanmar refuses to accept the results of the 1990 general election, which the
NLD won in a landslide. The NLD's Korean branch was established early last year.
The 25-year-old man, identified only as Sharlinn,
entered the country in July, 1994 on a trainee visa before leaving his
designated workplace the following year.
Sharlinn subsequently lived in Korea as an illegal
resident, before being caught by immigration officials early last month. He is
currently being held at the Inchon Immigration Office.
The human rights groups, including the Lawyers for a
Democratic Society (Minbyun in Korean), also said in the statement that
deporting Sharlinn would be a clear violation of not only the International
Convention on Refugees, which South Korea signed in 1992, but also the U.N.
Convention Against Torture.
After submitting an application for refugee status
to the Seoul liaison office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),
Sharlinn announced his intention to apply to the Korean government for the same
status. He received a deportation order from the government on March 20, the
rights group said.
Minbyun hopes to assist him in obtaining refugee
status from the Korean government.
"Though Sharlinn has filed an application, I don't
think he has a good chance of being recognized as refugee," said Minbyun
official Chang Kyong-ju, pointing to what she described as the Korean
government's "negative mindset" toward asylum seekers. Since Korea joined the
refugee convention of 1992, none of 53 asylum seekers was granted official
recognition as a refugee.
Citing the fact that Korea became a UNHCR Executive
Committee member in February, the human rights groups called on the government
to live up to its international status in dealing with refugee issues.
Meanwhile, pointing out that Sharlinn's illegal
resident status was uncovered after a police report that he allegedly beat his
live-in Korean girlfriend, a Justice Ministry official said Sharlinn was
regarded as unfit for refugee status. The ministry is currently reviewing
Sharlinn's application for designation as a refugee. The malady, which is generally bacteria borne during the summers and virus
borne in winter, is caused by poor sanitation, said Communicable Diseases
Control Department director-general Nara Nakvathana. Apart from appropriate medication, the authorities have provided residents
with relevant information to prevent further spread of the disease, he said. Dr Nara was confident that the disease could be brought under control, adding
that the nation's monitoring process was up to the task. Of the 900,000 victims who contracted diarrhoea last year, 3,000 suffered
from acute diarrhoea. Acute diarrhoea-which encompasses cholera, typhoid, dysentery and food
poisoning-was considered deadly because it was common among young children and
the elderly, Dr Nara said. General Communicable Diseases Control Division director Suphamit
Chunhasuthivat said the disease should not affect tourism or exports because it
was not considered an irregular phenomenon. Through the appropriate monitoring system, the nation's health infrastructure
would allow the authorities to identify, diagnose and treat patients
quickly. Dr Suphamit said that raw or half-cooked eggs could cause diarrhoea, adding
that all food, particularly meat and milk, should be properly cooked before
consumption. It is not recommended that sufferers take pills for diarrhoea unless
recommended by a physician, he said, adding that glucose was the best
remedy. BBC-Wednesday, 5 April, 2000, 14:17 GMT 15:17 UK The Burmese opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, says the
country's military government is sacrificing future generations of Burmese by
denying them access to education.
In a secretly taped message to the UN Human Rights Commission
she said human rights abuses, including the closure of universities, were
increasing despite international condemnation.
Aung San Suu Kyi has warned that Burma is being divided into two
-- a privileged military elite and victims of injustice. Her party, the National
League for Democracy, won elections in 1990 which the military has refused to
recognise. Reports from the Thai capital, Bankgok, quoted a Burmese government
official saying Ms Suu Kyi was making symbolic gestures to attract attention,
and urging her party to act in a more constructive way.
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service.
Aphaluck Bhatiasevi
The
Ministry of Public Health yesterday sent a team of epidemiologists to control
the spread of acute diarrhoea in Sangkhlaburi, along the Thai-Burmese border.
Five ethnic Mon villagers, residing in that area of Kanchanaburi province, have
already died after contracting the disease.