The BurmaNet News: July 11, 1995 [#198] "The rights of 45 million people in the country are more important than the rights of an individual." Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, July 8 "Like all of us, we are simply waiting to hear it from her own lips. But I am very hopeful." Michael Aris "It's a bit puzzling, too good to be true. I just don't feel this is real. I'd wait another two or three days before I rejoiced." A Bangkok-based diplomat ********************************* URGENT APPEAL: BurmaNet readers (especially in Europe), please post all news of local reaction to: reg.burma@conf.igc.apc.org ********************************** BURMANET: SITUATION ON THE MORNING OF THE 11th AP: DISSIDENT'S RELEASE RAISES HOPES OF DEMOCRACY FOR BURMA AP: ASIA HAILS FREED AUNG SAN SUU KYI PA NEWS: BRITAIN WELCOMES RELEASE WHITE HOUSE: CLINTON WELCOMES RELEASE AP: ASSK RELEASED AP: AUSTRAILA WELCOMES RELEASE OF SUU KYI BURMANET: AUNG SAN SUU KYI HAS BEEN RELEASED REUTERS: CLINTON HAILS RELEASE FRDC: AUNG SAN SUU KYI'S RELEASE ABSDF-MTZ: SITUATION AT DASSK'S HOME IN RANGOON VOA: ASSK RELEASED REUTERS: SUU KYI MEETS COLLEAGUES SCB: AUNG SAN SUU KYI FREE! NATION: BURMESE GENERAL DASHES HOPES OF SUU KYI'S RELEASE THIS MONTH NATION: US LAWMAKERS INTENDING TO BAN TRADE TIES WITH BURMA NATION: MON CEASEFIRE: TOWARDS LASTING PEACE THE NATION; 20,000 REFUGEES FLEE THE NATION: BORDER VILLAGERS THREATENED BY SPREAD OF DISEASE BURMANET: SITUATION ON THE MORNING OF THE 11th July 11, 1995 At long last, he SLORC has restored a bit of law and order to Rangoon by releasing Aung San Suu Kyi a day before her legal detention order would expire. She is scheduled to make a statement today in Rangoon at 1:00pm local time. Crowds of several hundre d gathered outside her compound last night and larger crowds are expected today. According to a journalist on the scene, the people in Rangoon are simply stunned at the turn of events. Aung San Suu Kyi, who was technically the number three ranking member of the National League for Democracy, has after six years, met with the other leaders of the party. U Tin Oo and U Kyi Maung, who were number one and two respectively in the party, wen t to the compound last night to see her. With them was U Aung Shwe, who is now officially the number one in the party. U Aung Shwe was forced by the SLORC to eject DASSK, U Tin Oo and U Kyi Maung from the party. The first person to get official word of the release was U Sein Win, the Associated Press correspondent in Rangoon. A DDSI official close to Kyaw Win, the Deputy Commander of the secret police, phoned him with the news. U Sein Win filed the story and wo rd raced through Rangoon within minutes. According to one usually well informed source, the final decision by the SLORC to release her was taken last Wednesday. Some journalists were tipped in advance to be there for an important event that would happen by the 11th. A few diplomats also had wi nd that something was up. The SLORC does not seem to be doing this out of weakness or as an attempt to ward of sanctions from the U.S. The mood of the SLORC officials who put out the news appeared confident, even excited. TV Myanmar and Radio Rangoon carried no news of the rele ase. Instead, they featured a speech by Than Shwe and the visit of the Chinese Defense minister. According to U Tin Oo, she has been released unconditionally. He went on to say that she was free to do what she wants as long as she doesn't break any laws. One Burmese expatriate noted however that "she has been released into a police state." It is w orth remembering that so many things are illegal in Burma that it is difficult to breathe without breaking a law. News of her release has also brought worries about her safety. "Anything could happen to her now" said one resident of Rangoon. Her release, assuming it's real, is far from the end of Burma's misery. The hardline position of the SLORC on all other issues is unchanged. BurmaNet is beginning to pick up reports from the Mergui-Tavoy area that beginning within the last week, more vi llages near the Total/Unocal pipeline are being forcibly relocated. There are as yet unconfirmed reports of fatalities involved with the relocations. Details are as yet sketchy as the SLORC is attacking the KNU headquarters in the area. More informatio n will be posted as it becomes available. AP: DISSIDENT'S RELEASE RAISES HOPES OF DEMOCRACY FOR BURMA SECOND DAYLEAD By Aye Aye Win of The Associated Press RANGOON, July 10 AP _ The champion of Burma's democracy movement, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, ended almost six years of house arrest today, raising hopes that the military junta might be easing its lock on power. Several hundred colleagues, supporters and journalists gathered in a light rain outside Suu Kyi's lakeside home in Rangoon as the unofficial news of her release spread. "What more can I say? I am very happy. The country is happy," said General Tin Oo, former defence minister and one-time chairman of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy. Other party leaders entered the compound, but Suu Kyi said through a security guard that she did not immediately want to talk to the media. Suu Kyi, 50, would have completed her sentence July 19. She was placed under house arrest in 1989 for leading a pro-democracy uprising that the military brutally repressed. Authorities had hinted recently that they might extend her sentence, and her release came as a surprise. An official source told The Associated Press of the release this afternoon, and the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, confirmed the release. "The order to restrict Mrs Aung San Suu Kyi to her compound has been revoked as of today," said a statement dated today. Suu Kyi's husband, Michael Aris, said in Oxford, England, that he was still awaiting confirmation of her release, and declined further comment. A professor at Oxford, he lives with the couple's sons, Alexander and Kim. The news of the release was greeted by dissidents, human rights activists and foreign leaders as a sign that the military leadership of Burma, which is also known as Myanmar, might be moving towards democracy. "If her release enables her to participate freely in a genuine process of political reconciliation leading to the installation of a democratically elected government, today's development would mark a major milestone towards the restoration of peace and stability in Burma," said a statement by White House spokesman Mike McCurry. He cautioned, however, that many more dissidents remained jailed and there remained "a number of serious and unresolved human rights problems in Burma." Amnesty International, in a statement from its London headquarters, said Suu Kyi's freedom "marks the beginning of a new policy to fundamentally improve Myanmar's human rights record." "We hope that her release heralds an era of national reconciliation, freedom and democracy for the people of Myanmar," the Indian foreign office said in a statement. The military seized power in Burma in 1988 after killing hundreds of people to quell a pro-democracy uprising led by Suu Kyi. She was arrested the next year for allegedly inciting unrest. The National League for Democracy won a landslide victory in 1990 general elections, but the military refused to honour the results, and has suppressed virtually all dissent. Suu Kyi had advocated non-violent resistance invoking the name of India's Mahatama Gandhi and that of her father, Burmese independence leader Aung San. In 1991, she won the Nobel Peace Prize. During her detention, she refused offers of freedom in exchange for exile and remained steadfastly committed to democracy. She also remained the symbol of the pro-democracy movement, referred to in reverential whispers as "the Lady." "This news gives more hope for us in fighting for more democracy," said So Aung, a spokesman for the All Burma Students' Democratic Front, a group of exiles in Thailand. "When she comes out, she can do many things for people." The military government seemed likely to reap international political benefits from her release, which was already reflected today in statements from across the world. The French Foreign Ministry said the release "allows the chance to resume dialogue with Burma," and "augurs favourably of the will of Burmese authorities to put the country on the road to democratisation." Japan, a major investor, called the release "an important advance for Myanmar's democratisation and improvement of human rights conditions." The Burmese government has said it would yield power to a civilian government after the drafting of a new constitution, but it has given no timetable. Even so, it has freed hundreds of political prisoners in recent years. Many more remain jailed. AP mkg REUTERS: ASSK FREED July 10 RANGOON, Burma (Reuter) - Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was freed unexpectedly Monday after nearly six years under house arrest and immediately began talks with fellow democracy campaigners. The slight but steely rights campaigner, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1 991, was detained for her outspoken attacks on the military, which killed and imprisoned thousands while supressing pro-democracy uprisings in 1988. U.S. Rep. Bill Richardson, the first foreigner to visit Aung San Suu Kyi wh ile she was in detention, said he was "enormously pleased and surprised" by her release and exp ected her to resume the leadership of the pro-democracy movement. But a diplomat monitoring developments in Burma from his post in Bangkok, Thailand, said: "It's a bit puzzling, too good to be true. I just don't feel this is real. I'd wait another two or three days before I rejoiced." He said the military leaders felt "very confident partly because of the lev els of foreign investment in Burma. That's not to say they understand how the international eco nomy works, but the pledges of investment make them feel they've been accepted." Witnesses standing outside Aung San Suu Kyi's home said she was meeting Tin Oo and Kyi Maung, two recently released senior members of the National League for Democracy party she helped found in 1988. Small groups of people gathered in the rain outside her Rangoon house after the news of her release spread, witnesses said. The gates to her compound were closed, but m any cars were parked outside the house. Official Burmese media made no mention of her release in early evening news broadcasts, but a military spokesman told reporters the 50-year-old Nobel laurea te was freed in the late afternoon. Aung San Suu Kyi neither appeared in public nor made any official announcem ents, but a military official said she would be holding a news conference Tuesday. A statement from the Japanese Foreign Ministry, issued in Tokyo, said Aung San Suu Kyi was freed unconditionally and was still being guarded at her request. She was placed under house arrest July 20, 1989 for "endangering the state. " She was never charged or tried. Last Friday, Burma's most powerful general, Khin Nyunt, hinted that she wou ld not be released any time soon, telling a Rangoon meeting the rights of Burma's 45 milli on people had to come before the rights of "any single person." Aung San Suu Kyi had two highly publicized meetings with top officials from the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) last year, but diplomats speculated they failed because the SLORC wanted to put conditions on her release. She later said she would not make any secret deals in exchange for her free dom. "I am enormously pleased and surprised by her release. When I went to Burma two weeks ago every expectation was that she would be detained indefinitely," Richardson, a New Mexico Democrat, told Reuters in Washington. Richardson, who visited Aung San Suu Kyi in February last year but was deni ed access last month, said the move was a step in the right direction he hoped would lead to more democracy. "I think the significance is that Aung San Suu Kyi can now take her rightfu l role as the leader of the pro-democracy movement in Burma, since she was released unconditionally," he said. Richard Bunting of the London-based Amnesty International human rights group told BBC radio: "We are extremely delighted, over the moon that after this very long time she is finally free." Former Philippine President Corazon Aquino, who inspired a "people power" ca mpaign to topple autocrat Ferdinand Marcos, said "I am truly happy for her and her people and I am glad that her years of suffering have finally come to an end. "Hopefully, she will be able to work with her people in bringing about the freedoms that she has been fighting for." Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono said his government welcomed the relea se "as important progress toward the democratization of Burma and the improvement of it s human rights situation. "We expect the Burmese government to take still more positive steps toward improving human rights and realizing democracy." REUTER PA NEWS: BRITAIN WELCOMES RELEASE 10 July By Charles Miller, Diplomatic Correspondent, PA News Britain said tonight it was delighted at the release from house arrest of Bur mese dissident leader Aung San Suu Kyi -- just days before she would have completed six years in detention. The restriction order on Nobel Prize winner Mrs Suu Kyi, who is married to Br itish academic Dr Michael Aris, was unconditionally lifted, according to official sources. Foreign Office minister Jeremy Hanley said: "We are delighted to hear that Au ng San Suu Kyi has today been released from house arrest. "We hope that no conditions hav e been attached to her release". She was expected to hold a press conference tomorrow, Mr Hanley added. Colonel Kyaw Win, Burma's deputy intelligence chief, went to Mrs Suu Kyi's la keside residence to inform her of the government's decision. "At her request, guards ar e still kept at her house but she is an ordinary citizen," said a Burmese official, who asked no t to be named. The decision to lift the restriction order will allow the mother-of-two to go anywhere and meet anyone just like an ordinary citizen, as long as she does not violate any laws, officials said. Western governments including Britain have continually demanded the release o f Mrs Suu Kyi, 50, who was the leader of the National League For Democracy which won a landslide victory in Burma's 1990 general elections -- a result the military junta refused to accept. She decided to challenge the military after soldiers killed hundreds of people as they quelled a mass uprising against autocratic rule. The junta placed her under house arrest in July 1989, allegedly for inciting unrest. No outsiders, apart from her immediate family, were allowed to visit. The Burmese government has adopted a less autocratic style in recent years an d made strenuous efforts to break its international isolation. However, Mrs Suu Kyi's release came as a major surprise to foreign analysts worldwide. The military junta has successfully suppressed virtually all open dissent in recent years. Yet Mrs Suu Kyi, who won the 1991 Nobel Peace prize, has remained the powerful s ymbol of the pro-democracy movement. She has steadfastly maintained that she will never give up the struggle for d emocracy in Burma, where she is always referred to as "the lady". Her husband Dr Aris is an expert in Tibetan studies at Oxford University. The couple have two sons -- Alexander, 22, and Kim, 17. A spokesman for St Antony's College, Oxford, where Dr Aris is a Fellow, said attempts were being made to contact him. Amnesty International said it was "delighted" to hear reports that restrictio ns had been lifted after six years of worldwide campaigning. "We hope that no conditions are placed on her freedom and that she is allowed to participate fully in her country's political process," said the organisation. It hoped the release marked the start of a new policy to improve Burma's huma n rights record. Amnesty said it was renewing its call for the 40 other prisoners of conscienc e still imprisoned to be released. "The organisation is also concerned about 20 member s of parliament-elect who, instead of taking office after the 1990 elections, were th rown into jail," it added. At his Oxford home this afternoon, Dr Aris was still waiting for official con firmation of his wife's release. He has always refused to discuss her plight for fear of jeopardising her chances of release. Dr Aris, 49, briefly emerged from his home in Park Town, Oxford, to say: "I am still waiting for confirmation. "I am try ing to get that confirmation from various sources. Whether or not I receive confirmation I know that it is my wife's wish that I do not give any comments in public." Later, Dr Aris said he was "very hopeful" about his wife's release. Speaking from outside his home he said: "Like all of us, we are simply waiting to hear it from her own lips. But I am very hopeful." AP: ASIA HAILS FREED AUNG SAN SUU KYI July 10 BURMA AUNG ASIA (HONG KONG) Asian countries have warmly welcomed the release of Burmese opposition leader AUNG SAN SUU KYI after nearly six years under house arrest. Japanese Foreign Minister YOHEI KONO says the move is a major step forward in the democratisation of Burma and in improving its record on human rights. The Indonesian foreign ministry has hailed the release of the Nobel peace prize laureate as good news which can only improve relations between the countries. A Burmese military spokesperson in Rangoon, Colonel KYAW WIN, earlier said the ruling military junta had freed the 50-year-old pro-democracy campaigner from house arrest. Amnesty International says its pleased with the decision and hopes no restrictions are placed on SUU KYI's freedom. AFP RTV mkg/jv WHITE HOUSE: CLINTON WELCOMES RELEASE THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary (Nashville, Tennessee) _______________________________________________________ For Immediate Release July 10, 1995 STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY President Clinton welcomes the announcement earlier today by the Burmese authorities that Aung San Suu Kyi has been unconditionally released after almost six years of house arrest. The President, who has repeatedly called for the Nobel Prize winner's freedom since the beginning of his Administration, expressed gratification that the efforts of the international community had finally secured her release. If her release enables her to participate freely in a genuine process of political reconciliation leading to the installation of a democratically-elected government, today's development would mark a major milestone towards the restoration of peace and stability in Burma. Even while welcoming her release, President Clinton expressed concern about a number of serious and unresolved human rights problems in Burma, including the continued detention of other political opponents, the failure to permit the International Red Cross to visit prisoners and the ongoing military campaigns against a number of ethnic groups. AP: AUSTRAILA WELCOMES RELEASE OF SUU KYI AP: AUSTRAILA WELCOMES RELEASE OF SUU KYI 10 July BURMA AUNG AUST (CANBERRA) The Australian government has welcomed reports that Burmese dissident leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner AUNG SAN SUU KYI has finally been freed from house arrest. While still awaiting official confirmation of Mrs SUU KYI's release, Acting Foreign Minister BOB MCMULLAN says he welcomes the decision by the Burmese military regime. Australia has repeatedly raised concerns with Burma over human rights violations and Mrs SUU KYI's continued house arrest. Women members of federal parliament last November signed a letter urging the Burmese government to release Mrs SUU KYI. A motion passed by the Senate condemning the Burmese government also noted that Mrs SUU KYI had won a landslide victory as leader of the National League for Democracy at the 1990 election, despite being unable to campaign, and was the nation's rightful leader. AAP RTV sc/jp AP: ASSK RELEASED By AYE AYE WIN Associated Press Writer RANGOON, Burma (AP) -- The champion of Burma's democracy movement, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, was freed from her almost six-year-long house arrest Monday, awakening hopes that the military junta might be easing its lock on power. Several hundred colleagues, supporters and journalists gathered in a light ra in outside Mrs. Suu Kyi's lakeside home in Rangoon as the unofficial news of her new freedom spr ead. She said through a security guard that she did not immediately want to talk to the media. The release was greeted by dissidents, human rights activists and foreign lea ders as a sign that the military leadership of Burma, which is also known as Myanmar, migh t be moving toward democracy. President Clinton welcomed the news in a statement Monday. "If her release enables her to participate freely in a genuine process of pol itical reconciliation leading to the installation of a democratically elected government, today's development would mark a major milestone towards the restoration of peace and st ability in Burma," he said. But Clinton expressed concern about "serious and unresolved human rights prob lems in Burma," including the continued detention of other political opponents, the fail ure to permit the International Red Cross to visit prisoners and the "ongoing military campaigns a gainst a number of ethnic groups." Mrs. Suu Kyi's supporters and associates in Rangoon were ecstatic. "What more can I say? I am very happy. The country is happy," said Gen. Tin O o, former defense minister and one-time chairman of Mrs. Suu Kyi's National League for Dem ocracy. Mrs. Suu Kyi, 50, would have completed her sentence July 19. She was placed under house arrest in 1989 for leading a pro-democracy uprising that the military brutally r epressed. Authorities had hinted recently that they might extend her sentence, and her release came as a surprise. An official source told The Associated Press of the release Monday afternoon, and the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, confirmed the release early Tuesday. "The order to restrict Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi to her compound has been revoked as of today," said a statement dated Monday. Mrs. Suu Kyi's husband, Michael Aris, said in Oxford, England that he was sti ll awaiting confirmation of her release, and declined further comment. A professor at Oxford, he lives with the couple's sons, Alexander and Kim. Amnesty International, in a statement from its London headquarters, said it h oped Mrs. Suu Kyi's freedom "marks the beginning of a new policy to fundamentally improve Myan mar's human rights record." The military seized power in Burma in 1988 after killing hundreds of people t o quell a pro-democracy uprising led by Mrs. Suu Kyi. She was arrested the next year for a llegedly inciting unrest. The National League for Democracy won a landslide victory in 1990 general ele ctions, but the military refused to honor the results, and has suppressed virtually all diss ent. Mrs. Suu Kyi had advocated non-violent resistance invoking the name of India' s Mohandas Gandhi and that of her father, Burmese independence leader Aung San. In 1991, sh e won the Nobel Peace Prize. During her detention, she refused offers of freedom in exchange for exile and remained steadfastly committed to democracy. She also remained the symbol of the pro-demo cracy movement, referred to in reverential whispers as "the Lady." "This news gives more hope for us in fighting for more democracy," said So Au ng, a spokesman for the All Burma Students' Democratic Front, a group of exiles in Tha iland. "When she comes out, she can do many things for people." The military government seemed likely to reap international political benefit s from her release, already reflected Monday in statements from across the world. The French Foreign Ministry said the release "allows the chance to resume dia logue with Burma." Japan, a major investor, called the release "an important advance for My anmar's democratization and improvement of human rights conditions." The Burmese government has said it would yield power to a civilian government after the drafting of a new constitution, but it has given no timetable. Even so, it has freed hundreds of political prisoners in recent years. Many more remain jailed. ASIA: AMNESTY DELIGHTED AT BURMESE DISSIDENT'S RELEASE BURMA AUNG AMNESTY LONDON, July 10 Reuter - Amnesty International said it was delighted by the release of Burmese dissident leader Aung Sun Suu Kyi and hoped the move heralded greater respect for human rights in Burma. "We are extremely delighted, over the moon that after this very long time she is finally free," Amnesty spokesman Richard Bunting told BBC radio. The London-based human rights group has campaigned on behalf of Suu Kyi ever since she was detained in 1989, under an anti-subversion law. Bunting said Amnesty was also wary of the release decision. "We are injecting a note of caution ... because we hope that no conditions are placed on her freedom and that she is allowed to participate fully in her country's political process." "I think we would also remind people that wide-ranging human rights violations are still taking place in the country. "We hope this is more than just a token move by the authorities, BURMANET: AUNG SAN SUU KYI HAS BEEN RELEASED July 10, 1995 Bangkok Aung San Suu Kyi has been release. According to diplomats in Rangoon, she was released as f 4:400pm, Rangoon time. Crowds of supporters are gathering around her house. The gate of the compound is open and about ten camaramen and TV crews are inside. Rumors of the rlease have been circulating for a couple of hours but confirmation is just now coming in. The first report apears to have come from the Japanese Embassy. Reuters is also reporting that Kyaw Win, the Deputy Head of Burma's secret police went to the compound on University Avenue to tell her that she was rleased, but reportedly she requsted that the troops remain at the compund. What the SLORC's motive is in releasing her is as yet, unknown. Among the possible reasons are the impending introduction of sanctions by the United States government. Sen. Mitch McConnell is set to introduce a bill in the Senate as early as tomorrow that would cut off all trade with Burma. Rep. Bill Richardson is exptected to introduce similar legislatoin in the House Another possibilty is that the Japanese were the prime movers in securing the release. Perhas most likely of all is that whatever the SLORC is doing has more to do with internal politics than external pressure. REUTERS: CLINTON HAILS RELEASE WASHINGTON, July 10 (Reuter) - President Bill Clinton on Monday welcomed the release of Burmese Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi after almost six years under house arrest. The White House said in a statement that Clinton was gratified by the relea se and hoped she would be able to participate freely in political reconciliation in Burma lea ding to the installation of a democratically-elected government. But it said that "even while welcoming her release, President Clinton expre ssed concern about a number of serious and unresolved human rights problems in Burma." It cited the continued detention of other political prisoners, the failure to allow the International Red Cross to visit prisoners and continuing military campaigns aga inst ethnic minorities. The State Department said it hoped Aung San Suu Kyi's release signalled "th e Burmese government's commitment to free all political prisoners and engage in a genuine political dialogue with all political forces in Burma." Before improving ties with Rangoon, Washington wanted to be sure there was "a genuine effort to try to improve the political situation in Burma, and to permit a much greater measure of political expression," spokesman Nicholas Burns said. "We're just not quite sure of any strings that might be attached to this pa rticular release or if in fact there are some conditions that may been applied to her actions after hav ing been released," Burns told a news briefing. "I think it's important we hear from her and we satisfy ourselves through o ur embassy in Rangoon to the specifics of this particular case." A U.S. congressman who was the first foreigner to visit Aung San Suu Kyi du ring her detention said on Monday he was surprised and pleased by her release. "I am enormously pleased and surprised by her release. When I went to Burma two weeks ago every expectation was that she would be detained indefinitely," New Mexico D emocrat Bill Richardson told Reuters. Richardson, who visited Aung San Suu Kyi in February last year but was deni ed access last month, said the move was a step in the right direction and deserved credit. He said he hoped it would lead to more steps towards democracy in Burma. "I think the significance is that Aung San Suu Kyi can now take her rightfu l role as the leader of the pro-democracy movement in Burma since she was released unconditionally," he said. In the Senate, Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky also welcomed her rel ease but said it would not alter his plans to offer sanctions legislation on Tuesday. "In my view, it is more important than ever to keep the pressure on the SLO RC regime to fully implement the 1990 election results," McConnell said in a statement, refer ring to Burma's ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). The 1990 elections were won by the main opposition party but the military r ulers refused to hand over power. Richardson said the United States in future should seek to engage rather th an isolate Burma, but Rangoon must take steps including allowing International Red Cross pr ison visits and releasing thousands of other political prisoners. "This is a welcome first step," he said. REUTER FRDC: AUNG SAN SUU KYI'S RELEASE frdc reg.burma 7:27 AM Jul 10, 1995 From: "Franklin Research & Development" Dear Friends of Burma: I have just heard the news that Aung San Suu Kyi has been released. The full details are not yet clear. However, it appears that she may have been released unconditionally. Here are a few thoughts: I think we should approach this news with hope and caution. It is a development we all hoped for. However, we do not yet know what conditions the SLORC will place on her. The SLORC's track record on human rights and the restoration of democracy requires us to treat their actions and statements with a certain degree of skepticism. Aung San Suu Kyi's release does not mean the end of the campaign for economic sanctions on Burma. We do not yet know what Aung San Suu Kyi's position will be on sanctions now that she is released. We should remember that Nelson Mandela did not call for the lifting opf sanctions on South Africa until he had reached a political settlement with the National Party, a couple of years after his release. The SLORC has blinked. With US Congressional support for economic sanctions building daily, the SLORC appears to have made an important concession. But more concessions and the restoration of democracy in Burma will take more, sustained pressure. Let us continue to press for economic sanctions, selective purchasing legislation and boycotts of companies doing business in Burma until Burma is free. Simon Billenness Franklin Research & Development (617) 423 6655 x225 (617) 482 6179 fax ABSDF-MTZ: SITUATION AT DASSK'S HOME IN RANGOON Situation at DASSK's home in Rangoo lurie reg.burma 8:57 AM Jul 10, 1995 (at mozart.inet.co.th) From: Caroline Lurie Subject: Situation at DASSK's home in Rangoon Hi Friends, A lot of our friend are calling us from inside Burma and holding the parties as they are very happy for her release. It is a victory of Aung San Suu Kyi who sacrificed for the causes of Burmese people and democracy, and refused to leave Burma as a Slorc's previous condition for releasing her. According to the updates information coming from inside Burma, She is now at a meeting with U Tin Oo and U Kyi Maung. They are drafting a press-statement which will be issue tomorrow morning. We welcome it, but we have to be very careful about it as the Slorc may trick to escape from the prayer ceremony and peaceful demonstration inside Burma tomorrow, as this news was not yet announced by the Slorc's news media. ABSDF VOA: ASSK RELEASED DATE=7/10/95 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-181596 TITLE=BURMA / SUU KYI (L) BYLINE=DAN ROBINSON DATELINE=BANGKOK CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: BURMA'S MILITARY GOVERNMENT HAS FREED AUNG SAN SUU KYI, AFTER NEARLY SIX YEARS OF HOUSE ARREST. SHE IS A SYMBOL OF DEMOCRACY FIGURE AND NOBEL PEACE PRIZE LAUREATE. V-O-A'S DAN ROBINSON REPORTS FROM OUR SOUTHEAST ASIA BUREAU THE RELEASE CAME AS A SURPRISE AFTER RECENT STATEMENTS FROM RANGOON INDICATING THAT RESTRICTIONS AGAINST AUNG SAN SUU KYI -- BEGUN IN 1989 -- WOULD BE EXTENDED: TEXT: A SENIOR OFFICIAL OF BURMA'S INTELLIGENCE SERVICES IS SAID TO HAVE GONE TO AUNG SAN SUU KYI'S RESIDENCE ON UNIVERSITY AVENUE IN RANGOON AT ABOUT 4 P-M MONDAY TO GIVE HER THE NEWS. REACHED BY TELEPHONE, A MILITARY GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL TOLD V-O-A, IN HIS WORDS -- THE NEWS IS CORRECT -- BUT DECLINED TO GIVE FURTHER DETAILS. A JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENT QUOTED BURMESE OFFICIALS AS SAYING THE RELEASE WAS UNCONDITIONAL. HOWEVER, MILITARY OFFICIALS ARE QUOTED AS SAYING AUNG SAN SUU KYI ASKED THAT GUARDS REMAIN POSTED AT HER HOUSE FOR THE TIME BEING. RANGOON-BASED DIPLOMATS ARE, FOR THE MOST PART, SURPRISED AT THE ANNOUNCEMENT. ONLY A FEW DAYS AGO, A SENIOR JUNTA OFFICIAL (LIEUTENANT GENERAL KHIN NYUNT) MADE STATEMENTS SEEN AS AN INDICATION THAT THE RESTRICTION ORDER AGAINST THE DEMOCRACY LEADER WOULD BE EXTENDED AGAIN. HOWEVER, ONE RANGOON SOURCE TOLD V-O-A LATE MONDAY THERE WERE INDICATIONS IN RECENT DAYS THAT SOMETHING MIGHT HAPPEN ON JULY 11TH. // OPT // AUNG SAN SUU KYI WAS PLACED UNDER HOUSE ARREST ON JULY 20, 1989. HOWEVER, UNDER BURMESE LAW JULY 11TH WAS CONSIDERED THE DAY ON WHICH THE EXTENSION ORDER WOULD HAVE TO HAVE BEEN RENEWED. // END OPT // THE REASONS BEHIND THE DECISION TO FREE THE DEMOCRACY FIGURE REMAIN UNCLEAR. MOST OBSERVERS THOUGHT THE JUNTA WAS DETERMINED, AT MINIMUM, TO COMPLETE A TIGHTLY CONTROLLED CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION BEFORE MAKING ANY MOVE. SENIOR OFFICIALS ALSO MADE CLEAR ANY DECISION DEPENDED ON HIGH CONFIDENCE THAT A RELEASE WOULD NOT LEAD TO RENEWED PUBLIC UNREST. BEFORE THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE RELEASE, ANALYSTS WERE DEBATING HOW MUCH THE RANGOON JUNTA REALLY CARED ABOUT EXTERNAL CRITICISM AND PRESSURE. HOWEVER, BURMA IS DUE TO ATTEND IMPORTANT SOUTHEAST ASIAN REGIONAL MEETINGS IN JULY AND DECEMBER. OBSERVERS SAY THE DECISION TO FREE AUNG SAN SUU KYI IS LIKELY TO YIELD HUGE DIVIDENDS FOR THE MILITARY GOVERNMENT'S EFFORT TO END ITS ISOLATION. ALSO, SOME MEMBERS OF THE REPUBLICAN CONTROLLED U-S CONGRESS -- ANGERED BY WHAT THEY CALL RANGOON'S POLITICAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS REPRESSION -- ARE PUSHING PROPOSED LEGISLATION CALLING FOR TRADE AND ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST RANGOON. HOW MUCH FREEDOM AUNG SAN SUU KYI WILL ACTUALLY HAVE REMAINS TO BE SEEN. DISSIDENTS RELEASED FROM PRISON ARE ROUTINELY WARNED NOT TO ENGAGE IN POLITICS AND NOT TO VIOLATE MILITARY LAWS. MONDAY NIGHT AUNG SAN SUU KYI -- NOW 50 YEARS OLD -- REMAINED INSIDE HER HOME IN RANGOON -- OFFICIALLY FREE BUT PROBABLY CONSIDERING CAREFULLY WHAT STEPS TO TAKE NEXT. (SIGNED) NEB/DR/CF 10-Jul-95 10:40 AM EDT (1440 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America