Unocal Chief Meets Daw Aung San Suu

[ausgeo@xxxxxxx]

Subject: Unocal Chief Meets Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

Unocal Chief Meets Burma Opposition 

Friday, May 16, 1997 

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- The president of the American oil company Unocal, 
the largest foreign investor in Burma, met Friday with Burmese pro-democracy 
leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who advocates an economic boycott of her 
country's military regime. 

The surprise meeting was announced by the Burmese government in a news release 
received in Bangkok, Thailand. It said Unocal President John F. Imle met Suu 
Kyi for nearly an hour Friday evening at her home in the Burmese capital, 
Rangoon. 

Neighbors of Daw Suu Kyi confirmed Imle's visit. Details of their discussion 
were not available. 
Outsiders generally must receive permission from the authorities to visit Suu 
Kyi's home. 
Imle's visit came a few days before a ban on new U.S. investment in Burma is 
expected to take effect. 
President Clinton last month announced the ban, saying Burma's military jumta 
has ignored appeals to ease repression and move toward democratic rule. He is 
expected to formalize the move by signing an executive order next Tuesday. 

Daw Suu Kyi has praised Clinton's move. In February, she said she disagreed 
with investors who claim that putting money into the Asian nation will raise 
living standards and freedom. 

``The reason why we want sanctions is because what the international 
investment is doing now is putting more and more money into the pockets of a 
small privileged group, who become more keen on preserving the status quo,'' 
she said. 

Unocal, based in El Segundo, Calif., has been helping the SLORC drill for oil 
and natural gas and build a $1.2 billion pipeline from the Yadana gas field in 
the Andaman Sea to a power plant in Thailand. 

After Clinton announced the investment ban, Unocal said it was giving up plans 
to develop two new natural gas fields. 

The military regime has curtailed Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's movement to the 
extent possible without formally returning her to house arrest. She was freed 
from six years of house arrest in 1995. The regime tightly restricts the 
activities of her National League for Democracy. 

The SLORC has refused her calls for a dialogue. Suu Kyi's party overwhelmingly 
won democratic elections in 1990, but the regime refused to hand over power.