Reuters : Myanmar government critic

[hlaing@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Myanmar government criticizes Suu Kyi 
07:45 a.m. Jul 31, 1998 Eastern 

YANGON, Myanmar (Reuters) - The Myanmar government launched a media attack
on opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday as she recuperated in
Yangon after her six-day car sit-in protest was forcibly ended by the
military. 

The New Light of Myanmar newspaper accused Suu Kyi, the daughter of
independence leader Aung San, of being paid by Britain and the United
States to destroy Myanmar with her campaigns. 

``Have the people noticed that the daughter of Thakin Aung San is doing
paid jobs as assigned by the British and the U.S.?,'' it said in a
front-page commentary entitled ``Hands off our nation.'' 

``It is totally unacceptable to us. We cannot allow the entire people to be
enslaved.'' 

The United States and Australia have asked U.N. Secretary-General Kofi
Annan to personally persuade Myanmar's military government to open a
dialogue with Suu Kyi, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said on
Friday. 

Albright, in an interview with Reuters, said: ``Foreign Minister
(Alexander) Downer and I have been in touch with Secretary-General Kofi
Annan today asking him to become personally involved in this.'' 

A weary Suu Kyi sent word to a news conference held by her National League
for Democracy (NLD) party on Thursday that she would go out again as soon
as she was well enough to travel. 

Suu Kyi was forcibly removed from her car on Wednesday night by security
men at a bridge near a village in the outskirts of Yangon and sent back to
her home in Yangon. 

The NLD said that her abduction was a criminal act. 

The Nobel peace prize winner had been blocked at the bridge last Friday and
prevented from going to the western township of Pathein to meet supporters.
But she refused to budge from the spot, stirring world attention to her
plight and condemnation of the military by leading nations, including the
United States. 

U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said on Thursday that the
government's use of force on Suu Kyi was ``an unacceptable violation of her
human rights.'' 

The government has said it acted on her doctor's advice. 

Diplomats and analysts said they were waiting for her next move, although
some believed that the military would tighten control over her movements
after the latest incident. 

They said that with the approach of the tenth anniversary of the August 8
1988 pro-democracy student uprising which the military crushed, the
government would tighten the net around Suu Kyi. 

They said they also expected tension to escalate in advance of the August
21 deadline set by the NLD for convening of a parliament comprising elected
representatives from the May 1990 election, which the NLD swept but was
ignored by the military, they added. 

The government has rejected the demand to convene parliament and said that
the drafting of a new national constitution, which has already been delayed
for some time, must be completed first. 

``The military will be extra cautious ahead of these two dates. After this
latest protest, they will be more careful, but so far in Yangon the
security and situation seems to be normal,'' said one Yangon-based
diplomat. 

Another diplomat said: ``Suu Kyi will keep momentum as long as the
government rejects her call to convene parliament. I think she may rest for
some weeks in her house before making another moves.'' 

The commentary in the state media said that ``the British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC) from Britain is giving signals to Myanmar people to start
nation-wide riots and uprisings.'' 

``The people of Myanmar are no longer naive these days. They are well aware
of the fact that commodity prices will skyrocket once riots break out,'' it
said. 

``Hence nothing will happen on 8-8-98,'' it added. 

Separately, the powerful Secretary One of the ruling State Peace and
Development Council (SPDC), Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt, flayed the
opposition and foreign media for what he said was false news being floated
to create disturbances in Myanmar. 

``Some foreign news agencies are floating false news on Myanmar everyday.
Internal destructive elements with evil will are creating confrontations,
passing false news on Myanmar to foreign news agencies,'' he said.