EBO Burma News, 1 June 2003
News Summary:
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1.
2. Annan urges dialogue in
3. UN envoy to visit
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democratic opposition Sunday, closing all major
branch offices and putting its
leadership under house arrest after detaining party
figurehead Aung San Suu
Kyi.
The Nobel peace laureate was placed under
"protective custody" in northern
supporters and a pro-junta mob Friday left four dead
and 50 injured, the
government said.
A junta source said the seven members of the
National League for Democracy
(NLD) governing committee remaining in
The eighth, party vice-chairman Tin Oo, was in custody with Aung San Suu Kyi.
"All the leadership of the NLD have
been placed under house arrest since
yesterday," the source told AFP. "All the
NLD headquarters in major towns have
been sealed," he said, adding that
included seven or eight offices.
Aung San Suu Kyi's
whereabouts remained unknown and her party was barred
from contacting her, but observers in
to the capital.
NLD sources said the doors of party
offices were slammed shut and the NLD's
distinctive red flags emblazoned with fighting
peacocks had been torn down.
Its headquarters in the capital was sealed
on Saturday.
Diplomats in
of democratic reforms in
rule.
"If they are rounding up the (leadership
in
work out what they're thinking and why they're
doing it. The timing is quite
extraordinary really," said one observer.
Aung San Suu Kyi had been on a month-long
political tour of
north, which became increasingly tense as her
supporters repeatedly clashed
with members of the junta-sponsored Union
Solidarity Development Association
(USDA).
The charismatic democracy leader had
already complained of mounting
harassment by the junta on her political visits
across the country, during
which thousands of adoring fans flocked to see
her.
The opposition leader departed on the trip
to northern
the first anniversary of her release from 19
months under house arrest, and
had been due to return to
When she was released by the government,
she was guaranteed freedom of
movement around the country, sparking hopes that a
dialogue between the
warring sides and a transition to democracy for
offing.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's special envoy to
said Sunday he would proceed with a planned
visit to
is aimed at getting the national
reconciliation process back on track.
Annan said Saturday that Aung San Suu Kyi's detention highlighted the need
for national reconciliation and called on the
two sides to start substantive
dialogue.
The junta said Saturday it was confident
the developments would not
completely derail the reconciliation process but
refused to comment on what
action would be taken against the NLD.
----------------------------------
Annan urges dialogue in Myanmar as
envoy prepares to visit Yangon
UN News Service
31 May – Amid new signs of unrest in
Kofi Annan today renewed his call for talks
between the Government and
the opposition, as his envoy prepared to head
to the country's capital.
"The Secretary-General is following
closely, and with concern, the situation
in
and several other leaders of the National
League for Democracy (NLD) were
taken into 'protective custody' after clashes
reportedly broke out between her
supporters and pro-government protesters in northern
for Mr. Annan said in a statement.
Stressing that the latest developments
underline the "urgent need" for national
reconciliation in
their substantive dialogue as soon as possible.
"The Secretary-General reiterates his
readiness to help facilitate the national
reconciliation process," the spokesman added,
noting that Mr. Annan's Special
Envoy, Razali Ismail, is due to arrive in
---------------------------------
UN envoy to visit
Razali Ismail, on
Sunday said his upcoming visit to
despite the detention of opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi by the country's
military rulers.
"I am proceeding to
asked to comment on the
Democracy (NLD) after
putting Aung San Suu Kyi in custody.
The Nobel peace laureate was put under
"protective custody" in northern
supporters and a pro-junta mob Friday left four dead
and 50 injured, the
She remained in custody Sunday at an
undisclosed location, while two NLD
offices in the southern town of
were slammed shut and in
arrest.
Razali is expected to visit
substantive political dialogue between the country's
generals and the NLD.
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