freely," she said. Thailand and Burma need to have "very good relations," because they are neighbours and "we've got to live next to each other forever, as long as the world lasts," she noted. The Voice of America, World Television News and a Norwegian daily also joined the group interview which followed a full-fledged press conference at her residence at 54, University Avenue, where she spent six years under house arrest. Thailand has urged that Burmese people benefit from the process of bringing Burma out of isolation through constructive engagement. Ministers of Thailand and other member states of the Association of South East Asian Nation(ASEAN) were quick to claim Mrs Suu Kyi's release on July 10 as a triumph for this policy. "It is always very difficult to decide exactly how much one particular policy has achieved," Ms Suu Kyi said, when might be a better alternative. There are those who say, for example, that I have been released because of constructive engagement, and there are those who say that I have been released because of international pressure," she went on. "It is very difficult to analyse and decide exactly what has achieved and how much," she added. Thailand, by virtue of its geographical proximity and better knowledge of Burma, could play "a persuasive role" with ASEAN towards any adjustment of its Burma policy, she said. "It would be a long time yet before Burma becomes a full-fledged member of ASEAN. But Burma "belongs to Southeast Asia," she pointed out. "Eventually I hope that Burma will be an active and progressive member of ASEAN," she added. Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines are Thailand's current partners in ASEAN. Vietnam becomes the seventh member later this month while Laos holds observer status with the grouping. On the situation in Burma, Mrs Suu Kyi told VOA that compromise would not come easily. "I believe the will of the people is very, very powerful," she said. ===== item ===== ~SUU KYI WILLING TO HOLD TALKS WITH RULING JUNTA Bkk Post/ 15.7.95 Rangoon, AFP Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said yesterday she was willing to negotiate with Burma's ruling junta, but appealed to the world community to wait before rushing into the country with development aid. "There is no way we can achieve reconciliation unless we talk with each other," she told a packed news conference at her lakeside home, adding that any contacts with the junta would come "would come firstly in the form of dialogue." But she also urged nations and World institutions not to rush in and offer Burma development aid before assessing the country's political situation. "It is too soon to rush into anything," she said, adding that potential donors "should wait and see whether there is a genuine move towards reconciliation and a democratic system of government." "I have been released. That is all. Nothing else has changed," she said. Aung San Suu Kyi said while she was willing to meet with the junta, any contact could only occur following discussions with her colleagues in the National league for Democracy, who she has met dialogue since her arrest. "We have every intention of asking the SLORC for a meeting, but only after we have decided how we wish to proceed," she said, referring to the State Law and Order Restoration Council, as the junta is officially known. She said earlier this week that she would be willing to compromise and that all sides had to be flexible of they were to bring democracy to Burma. But she added that she has not had any contact with the SLORC since her release. Aung San Suu Kyi said she and NLD colleagues had not yet discussed whether they would make the further release of political prisoners a pre-condition for talks with the SLORC. Aung San Suu Kyi added the SLORC, which seized power in 1988, has recently negotiated ceasefire with most of the armed ethnic groups that have been fighting Rangoon for more autonomy since independence in 1948. "Ceasefire mean less suffering, and we certainly must five them(the military leaders) credit for this," she said. "But a ceasefire is not a permanent peace." she added. "What we want is permanent peace." She decline to discuss her meetings last year with SLORC leaders Than Shwe and Khin Nyunt, saying they had agreed at her request not to make any details public to avoiding misunderstandings. But she said she found khin Nyunt to be polite and "quite charming," and that Than Shwe was "straightforward." Aung San Suu Kyi co-founded the NLD in 1989 and campaigned widely for the party ahead of elections that the NLD swept in April, 1990. The SlORC subsequently ignored the poll results and refused to relinquish power. Instead it clamped down on the opposition, arresting top NLD leaders and forcing others to flee to the jungle or across the border into Thailand. Now, she said, the NLD was not trying to rebuild the party the way it was. "We don't want the NLD to be just exactly the way it was in 1989, we want it to be what the NLD ought to be in 1995," she said without elaborating. Asked about the national convention drafting Burma's new constitution, she reiterated that she still had reservations about it. "There have to be lots of changes" for the benefit of the people, she said. "We would hope that these changes can be negotiated. It should guarantee democracy for Burma." In an interview in the New York Times yesterday, Aung san Suu Kyi said she did not rule out a transitional government in which the Burmese military shared political power with civilians. "Power-sharing was "some-thing we must look at," she said, adding that she would discuss the proposal with her supporters in the democracy movement. "I'm aware that this is what they have done in South Africa, where they have agreed to a transitional period," Aung San Suu Kyi said referring to the power sharing arrangement reached between black and white South Africans Prior to last year's elections. "And I think it's been far more successful than some people had thought", she added. Asked whether a civilian government should seek retribution against military officers involved in human rights abuses, she said, "There's nothing good about vengeance_ it's a most ignoble feeling." She said it was an issue she had thought "very deeply" about, adding, "we should try to make some sort of distinction between the person and the deed, because all of us have weakness." "I don't think it's vengeance that people should want," Aung San Suu Kyi said, "I think what they should work for is the truth." In another interview published in London's Daily Telegraph yesterday, Aung San Suu Kyi said she bore no ill-will towards the military regime that held her under house arrest. "I truly feel no ill-will towards my captors. This is not just something I am saying to be tactful or diplomatic, I myself wonder why that is. She said she had concluded i was party because she associated the Burmese army with her father, Aung San, who secured Burma's independence from Britain. Most of my photos show my father in uniform so I grew up thinking of the army as part of the family. Aung San Suu Kyi also said the conditions of her detention were quite tolerable. ===== item ===== ~THAI BURMESE AGREE ON BORDER RIVER DEMARCATION BkK Post/ 15.7.95 Mae Sot, Tak THAILAND and Burma yesterday decided to settle the border in Moei River before resuming construction of the Thai-Burmese Friendship Bridge. A Thai delegation led by Assistant Army Commander Chettha Thanajaro and a Burmese delegation led by Construction Minister Maj-Gen Saw Tun and Southeastern Force Commander Maj-Gen Khet Sein reached agreement during talks. Construction of the bridge was suspended after Burma alleged that Thailand had built structures which encroached into the river, causing a change in the boundary. According to Gen Chettha, the Joint Boundary Committee will be soon told of the talks' conclusions so it can start demarcation work as soon as possible. " After the demarcation is completed, construction of the bridge will be continued. Both sides have to work on the issue urgently so border trade will be minimally affected," he said. The Myawaddy checkpoint in Burma has been closed for more than four months since Burma accused Thailand of helping minority groups. Late last month, Thailand again faced another Burmese allegation that it had encroached onto the river, prompting Burma to suspend bridge work. The assistant army commander expressed hope that when the demarcation was completed, the situation surrounding border issues would be improved. Source in the area said local government officials, businessmen and traders were disappointed with the result of the talks for they had expected the border closure, encroachment and bridge construction to be dealt with separately to enable the checkpoint to reopen soon. ===== item ===== ~SALWEEN WATER DIVERSION GETS GREEN LIGHT BKK Post /15.7.95 The Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment will go ahead with a project to divert water from the Salween River into the Bhumibol Dam through a route linking the Moei River with Khanang and Bhumibol dams. The route was recommended to be the most suitable of five options studied by Panya Consultant Company which was commissioned to conduct a pre-feasibility study of the water diversion project, said Pradesh Sutabutr, director-general of Energy Development and Promotion Department, yesterday. The consultant's study was yesterday presented before a meeting of government officials from various agencies concerned with the project. Water will be drawn from the Moei River which demarcates the borderline between Thailand and Burma into a 1.4 kilometre long canal with the help of two 24 megawatt pumping stations, according to the study. The water will then be rerouted into the Huay Chaining reservoir. Two 81-megawatt pumping stations will then pump water from the reservoir to the Bhumibol Dam through a 16 kilometre long tunnel. Mr Pradesh said 1,000 million cubic metres of water would be diverted into Bhumibol Dam a year. This would not be sufficient to meet the consumption need in the lower Chao Pharaya River basin which is expected to reach 3,000 million cubic metres a year by the year 2006, he said. More water will be diverted from the Salween via Mae Lama Luang and Bhumibol dams, he said, adding that the project is also under study. Mr Pradesh said he would seek an additional budget to carry out a feasibility study of the project. The study, he added, will be completed in three years' time. ===== item ===== ~US SANCTIONS BILL DELAYED ON NEWS OF SUU KYI 13.7. 95/ The Nation A US senator has delayed introducing legislation for economic sanctions against Burma for two weeks following the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest in Rangoon, according to the Burmese government-in-exile. Senator Mitch McConnell would wait to see the Burmese junta took further steps towards the restoration of democracy and human rights in the country, U Bo Hla Tint, the in-exile minister for foreign affairs, said yesterday. McConnell had planned to introduce his sanctions bill to the Senate on Tuesday (yesterday in Bangkok). The US bill if passed would ban all US trade and economic activity with the military regime. Meanwhile, Kyodo reported from Rangoon that Aung San Suu Kyi warned her supporters yesterday not to expect too much too soon. "There in always the danger. The way is not going to be all that smooth. I would like to warn my supporters not to expect too much too quickly," she told reporters at her residence. As long as we have a will and as long as we go about it intelligently we will get there," she said, a reference to the goal of democracy. U Bo Hla Tint said the senator was delaying because he wanted to see "substantial political dialogue" resume between Slorc [ruling Stats Law and Order Restoration Council] and Suu Kyi who was unexpectedly released from house arrest on Monday after nearly six years in detention. McConnell (Republican, Kentucky) wanted Slorc to officially acknowledge Suu Kyi's leadership and respect the result of the May 1990 general election, when her National League for Democracy (NLD) won a landslide victory. Slorc also had to lift any restrictions banning Suu Kyi's from political activities, and work out a process to transfer power from the military to the Burmese people. McConnell also wanted to hear Suu Kyi's opinion on the proposed bill. Bo Hla Tint said McConnell would to ahead and introduce his bill if there was no progress towards democracy and human rights. "Real political development would require Slorc to end its offensive against armed ethnic groups and declare a nationwide ceasefire in Burma, and release al political prisoners including elected MPs and end forced labour and relocation," said Bo Hla Tint. His administration, which has established itself an office in Washington DC after several of its members were refused visas to return to Thailand, wanted "to hear from our leader [Suu Kyi] what her view of the future of political development in Burma is. >From Rangoon, Reuter reports that two days after freeing Suu Kyi, the Slorc leadership was yesterday still refusing to inform the nation, apparently trying to play down the importance of her release. The official media had made no mention of her release despite Suu Kyi's public appearance before the world's press at her home on Tuesday. "We have no announcement, a senator information ministry official said yesterday. "It is of no concern to us. That is a private affair so we do not plan to cover it. Diplomats speculated the tight-lipped attitude of Slorc was an attempt to belittle the charismatic leader's importance. AFP and Reuter reports said Suu Kyi yesterday remained in seclusion at her family home on the shores of Rangoon's Lake Inya, receiving only select visitors from the throng at her gate. She, however, met the press yesterday for the second day after being released and went to the gate of her family compound to thank and show her appreciation to her many supporters, clearly hesitant to go outside because she feared her appearance might lead to a demonstration or uprising Rangoon-based diplomats said. She told the hordes of people and supporters waiting that she would " continue to do what I have to do. Visibly happy at the contact with the crowd, the repeated a message from the day before: "You must have patience and courage, and control yourselves. She told the applauding crowd she was still a member of the National League for Democracy which she helped found, and promised she had not betrayed them in return for her release. She said she had undergone a medical checkup in the morning although she felt "quiet fit". Suu Kyi told reporters that she drew strength from the people and appreciated that they responded to her as a person rather than as a national figure or symbol. "Most important point for us is to keep our eyes very steadily on our goals. We have got to be brave but not foolhardy," she added. Asked whether she could be active politically, she said, I intend to be active politically. The authorities do know I will be active politically because I consider myself a politician." ===== item ===== ~KAREN ATTACK ARMY BARRACKS The Nation/13.7.95 Reuter Mae Sot _ Guerrillas attacked a Burmese army barracks in a southeastern border town in the early hours yesterday, a Thai security officer said. Ethnic minority Karen guerrillas fired more than 10 mortar bombs at the army barrack in the town of Myawadi shortly after midnight. The explosion could be clearly heard in Mae Sot. Burmese civilians, shouting across the Moei river, later reporters three people were killed and two wounded in the attack. Burmese troops are hunting the guerrillas in hills to the north of Myawadi, the Thai officer said. The Karen National Union, which has been fighting for greater autonomy since 1949, suffered serious setbacks earlier this year when Burmese troops captured their headquarters and their last main stronghold in southeastern Burma. ===== item ===== ~GLOBAL PRESSURE ON BURMESE JUNTA ALL SET TO CONTINUE 14. 7.95/The Nation RANGOON- International pressure on Burma's military government to return the country to democracy will continue even though it has freed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, diplomats said yesterday. Burma's ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council [SLORC] unexpectedly and unconditionally released the 50-year-old Nobel Peace Prize-winner on Monday after six years of detention. "We don't want to give them too much credit," a Rangoon -based diplomat said. " We need to maintain pressure on them to continue the dialogue." Another diplomat said international pressure should continue to be applied on Slorc because it appeared there was still a long way to go for democracy's return to Burma. "I don't think anyone assumes this is the end of the line," he said." I think people are waiting, and the sentiment is still of cautious optimism, with `cautious' being the key." Diplomats and political analysts said Slorc must have felt confident enough about Burma's internal stability to release Suu Kyi. She was put under arrest in July 1989 at her lakeside Rangoon home for " endangering the state" by speaking out against the military, which killed and imprisoned thousands while suppressing a pro-democracy uprising in 1988. "They knew there was an internal stability, and if they didn't release her they would risk massive international outcry," a diplomat said. "So on the balance between the domestic and international situation they chose to release her. "They felt sure they could be in control," he added. The sense of security felt by Slorc about its hold on power was shown the day after Suu Kyi was freed. Slorc allowed hundreds of cheering supporters to crowd around her Rangoon home and let her hold meetings with opposition colleagues. But Slorc continues to maintain a domestic news blackout on Suu Kyi's release. More than three days after her release, official media had not reported the news. Diplomats said the absence of uniformed soldiers or policemen in front of her house after her release also signalled the government did not fear an uprising. " They felt no need to have an armed military presence, which is a sign of their confidence," a diplomat said. Foreign governments must continue to urge the military leaders to hold dialogues, as promised, with Suu Kyi and other opposition leaders to foster democracy, the diplomats said. Suu Kyi said on Wednesday the opinion of the international community was important and should not be ignored. "The opinion of other countries, of the international community, does matter, and I don't think anybody with any sense can really ignore it, she said. While democracy was on its way to Burma, supporters should not expect too much to happen quickly, she warned. Suu Kyi also urged foreign investors queuing up to invest in resource-rich Burma to study the situation carefully before deciding whether the time was right. "I want to study the situation much more carefully before I say whether I truly believed that this is the right time for investments in Burma," she told reporters. Diplomats said it was now up to Slorc to take issues at hand further. "I think the ball is in Slorc's court. But it's vital that the Slorc is flexible, because she says she is willing to compromise, but they must also be willing to," a diplomat said. "It depends on how much they want reconciliation ." Most government have said they will watch how developments unfold and take their cues from Suu Kyi before deciding whether to resume or bolster relations with Burma. AP and AFP reports from Washington say US Senator Mitch McConnel has urged the US Congress to increase pressure for democratic reform in Burma rather than back off with Suu Kyi's release. The senator, who heads a key funding panel, said calls for the resumptions of economic ties following the release on Monday were "premature and ill-advised" #In Hanoi, Vietnam has refused to comment on the release of Suu Kyi, saying it was an internal matter for the government in Rangoon. ===== item ===== ~MEETINGS ALL DAY AS SUU KYI PRESSES ON 14.7.95/The Nation RANGOON- Aung San Suu Kyi embarked on another day of dawn-to dusk meetings yesterday, consulting with colleagues from the former pro-democracy movement, meeting the press and seeing old friends and supporters. The Burmese opposition leader and her colleagues were looking to jump-start their National League for Democracy [NLD] now that she has been released from nearly six years of house arrest. A steady parade of visitors to her family home on University Avenue continued yesterday, and a secretary described her schedule as " very full" . For the fourth consecutive day, Kyi Maung, an NLD member and recently freed political prisoner, conferred with Suu Kyi, whose lakeside compound has become a magnet for visiting journalists, diplomats and well- wishers. An AFP photographer allowed inside the compound during the meeting with Kyi Maung yesterday said that the 50 year old dissident , wearing traditional Burmese dress, appeared a little nervous as he took her picture. Outside, several dozen people waited patiently on the other side of the metal gate. A handful of men in uniform lounged on the edges of the small crowd that had gathered despite a morning shower. Aides to Suu Kyi were keeping lists of requests to see her. The secretary said there were no plans for a press conference yesterday, nor to talk to supporters gathered outside the gate because of a heavy agenda. But she did agree to meet some individual media representatives during the day, scheduling them in 15 minute times slots. She herself told reporters on Wednesday that she was "booked solid" for the next two days, primarily with meetings with NLD members. She also said she would not leave the compound for several days, even to pray at a pagoda, as she worked to catch up on events of the last six years, and she and her NLD colleagues decided on how to restart their drive for democracy in Burma. Suu Kyi specifically warned people not to expect too much too soon. She was placed under house arrest in July 1989 for her opposition to the military government. She was released on Monday in a surprise move by the State Law and Order Restoration Council [Slorc], as the junta is formally known. Suu Kyi said she may have been freed because her term was up and the Slorc could not legally hold her any longer, although she said the importance of international public opinion could not be discounted. But analysts here held it was more likely she was released at this time because the slorc felt it had things well in hand and was acting from a position of strength.