EBO
News Summary:
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1. SITUATION IN
2. 100 missing in
3. EU urges Suu Kyi's release, warns over
sanctions
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SITUATION IN
[Translated from the original Italian
version]
(ANSA
of opposition movement - the situation in
Boniver, Italian Undersecretary of State for
Foreign Affairs, said today following
a lengthy conversation with Raffaele Miniero, the Italian
Ambassador in
Their discussion concerned the fresh waves
of arrests of members of the National
League for Democracy
(NLD), led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
Mrs Boniver
stressed the continuing uncertainty about the fate of Suu Kyi,
who according to some sources has now been
admitted to hospital to be treated
for the severe injuries she sustained in an
armed attack.
Other sources say she remains in custody,
whereabouts unknown.
"Despite several requests by the US
Government and the European Union,
nobody, including the Red Cross, has so far been
able to see her and find out
how she is," said Mrs Boniver.
In
Ministry to be told formally of the
Italian authorities' strong objections to
the round-up of Burmese opposition leaders.
The changed situation in
between Mrs Boniver and
Ismail Razali, the UN
Special Envoy to
expected back in the country tomorrow.
The two will also discuss the European
Troika visit to
place at the beginning of the Italian
Presidency, along with the urgent request
for the release of all political prisoners.
Margherita Boniver also
said that they would consider in detail the possibility
of submitting the case to the UN Security
Council.
--------------------------------
100 missing in
military government to account for more than 100
people including political
activists said to be missing after a crackdown on
opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi and her party.
The May 30 incident, in which dozens of
people are now believed to have
been killed, represents further erosion of
already tenuous human rights
conditions in the country, according to Amnesty.
"The State Peace and Development
Council must release activists who were
detained on account of their peaceful political
activities and clarify the
fate and whereabouts of at least 100 people
who are missing," the London-based
watchdog said in a statement.
The junta placed Aung San Suu Kyi "in
protective custody" after the
incident and reported that four had been killed
and 50 injured during the
violence, which occurred while the leader was on a
political tour to northern
Some 18 members of her entourage were also
detained, while the leadership
of her opposition National League for
Democracy (NLD) was put under house
arrest in
Among the missing are NLD deputy chairman
Tin Oo, members of the NLD's
youth wing, MPs elect, NLD members and
students, Amnesty said.
Amnesty and other sources say they believe
some 70 people may have died in
the fracas.
"These events represent a significant
deterioration in the human rights
situation. Steps towards improvement have been
sadly undermined by this latest
crackdown," it said.
--------------------------------
EU urges Suu Kyi's release, warns
over sanctions
immediate release of
that it could strengthen sanctions against
The EU's
executive also called on
pressure on the ruling military junta there.
"We would like to add our voice to
those who are urging the immediate
release of Aung San Suu Kyi and her
colleagues," said Emma Udwin, spokesman
for EU external relations commissioner Chris
Patten.
She noted that the EU rolled over its
sanctions regime - comprising an arms
embargo, a freezing of assets and a visa ban on a
list of Burmese officials -
in April, but warned it could now be
bolstered, notably by putting more people
on the visa ban list.
"There are currently a number of meetings
going on discussing whether that
should happen earlier than the envisaged date of
the end of October," she
said, adding that: "Other forms of
sanctions might be brought into play."
The EU executive said that, failing Suu
Kyi's immediate release, UN envoy
Razali Ismail should
be allowed to meet her and the others detained "to find
out what the truth of their condition
is."
The
region - notably
regime.
"We need to use all the means
available to try to put pressure on a regime
which is it appears pretty impervious to
international opinion," she said.
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