EBO Burma News, 28 May 2003
News Summary:
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1.
2. Group Accuses Suu Kyi Backers of Attacks
3. Torture, killings continue in
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marked the 13th anniversary of her party's
landslide 1990 election win, which
was never recognised by the military
government, calling the junta's action an
"insult".
Aung San Suu Kyi called on the people of
democracy in a message to activists holding a
ceremony at the National League
for Democracy's (NLD)
"The NLD must stand up firmly to
achieve the result of the elections of
1990. To ignore the result of the 1990
elections is to have total disrespect
for the people and is also an insult to the
people," the Nobel Peace
Prize-winner, who is currently touring the
north of the country, said in the
message.
Her party won 392 of 485 contested seats
in the elections, considered free
and fair by the international community, but
the result was never recognised
by the ruling junta. Four seats were won by
other pro-democracy parties.
"During my travels I have seen what
the people have suffered because of the
lack of democracy," Aung San Suu Kyi
said.
"So the NLD must do its best to fulfill the aspirations of the people who
have given them their full trust by voting for
them.... I would like for NLD
members to work 100 percent for the benefit of
the people."
In a separate anniversary statement, the
NLD said the ruling State Peace
and Development Council (SPDC) had broken
promises by not convening parliament.
"They have broken the legally binding
promise undertaken by them. It is not
for the NLD to be repeatedly asking for
parliament to be convened," the
statement said.
"The political, economic and social
problems facing the nation today can
best be solved by convening and working
through the People's Parliament."
The party also complained about the
failure of UN-brokered national
reconciliation talks between the junta and Aung San Suu
Kyi since October 2000
to progress beyond the confidence-building
stage.
"We are prepared to speedily set in
motion a meaningful political
dialogue," the statement said.
It noted that 17 members of
parliament-elect remained in jail.
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Group Accuses Suu Kyi Backers of
Attacks
Tue May 27,
By AYE AYE WIN,
Associated Press Writer
Suu Kyi's
supporters of physically assaulting "peaceful" opponents during her
ongoing trip to the north. It said 10 people were
injured in the attacks.
The government claims contradict
complaints by Suu Kyi's National League
for Democracy that a pro-junta group
obstructed the Nobel Peace laureate's
tour and bullied her supporters.
The NLD said Monday that pro-junta
elements driving by in a dozen cars had
threatened to run over people waiting along the road
to greet Suu Kyi near
at Suu Kyi's car,
hitting its hood.
But a government statement gave a
different version of the events.
It said a group of people who do not
support Suu Kyi were staging
"peaceful
protests" against her when youths from the NLD started fights
with them.
It said 10 people including three women
were injured in three separate incidents
when NLD members threw stones and attacked
those staging peaceful
"anti-Suu
Kyi protests."
"Local authorities have urged the NLD
to be broadminded and understand
that there are those who support the NLD and
those who do not support them,"
the statement said.
Suu Kyi is currently on a one-month
political tour of the north, her seventh such
trip since being freed by the military
government from house arrest last May.
The NLD has said her previous trips were
also obstructed by members of the
Union Solidarity Development Association
(USDA), the junta-sponsored
group.
-----------------------------------
Torture, killings continue in
Myanmar despite Suu Kyi release: Amnesty
political dissidents despite the release of
pro-democracy campaigner Aung San
Suu Kyi in May of last year, Amnesty
International said Wednesday.
Forced labour and extra-judicial killings
of ethnic minority civilians also
continued in
watchdog said in its report on 2002.
"Reports of torture of political
prisoners during initial interrogation by
the Military Intelligence continued to be
received," Amnesty said, adding that
three political prisoners had died in custody
during the year.
"Extrajudicial executions continued
to be reported in most of the seven
ethnic minority states," it added.
The report said about 50 political
prisoners were detained during the year
and about 300 released, bringing to 500 the
total number of prisoners set free
since January 2001. However, about 1,300
political prisoners remained in jails.
The group noted no progress had been made
in talks between the military
government and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy, despite three visits to the
country by the UN secretary general's
special envoy Razali Ismail.
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