The Hindu : Razali on mission to seek Suu Kyi's release

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 08, 2003

International

International

Razali on mission to seek Suu Kyi's release

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE June 7. The United Nations' Special Envoy on the Myanmar issue, now on a trouble-shooting mission to that South East Asian nation, said in Yangon today that he would like to meet and talk to all those concerned with the current political crisis there.

The U.N. envoy, Razali Ismail, has had talks with some leaders of the military junta in Yangon — the State Peace and Development Council — and he has also made no secret of his desire, on behalf of the wider international community, to meet Aung San Suu Kyi, the detained pro-democracy leader.

Mr. Razali's diplomatic brief extends to efforts aimed at securing the immediate release of Ms. Suu Kyi who, according to the Myanmar Government, was now in "protective custody'' following clashes between her supporters and the pro-junta protesters at a place in northern Myanmar just over a week ago.

Ms. Suu Kyi is central to the U.N.'s efforts to bring about national reconciliation in Myanmar through dialogue between the military rulers and her National League for Democracy.

An aspect of current concern to the international community is whether Ms. Suu Kyi was indeed injured in the clashes that preceded her latest in a series of detentions.

Even as the U.S. raised the diplomatic stakes by denouncing the latest Myanmarese action against Ms. Suu Kyi and by threatening more concrete measures against the Yangon regime, the top authorities of the State Peace and Development Council today blamed her directly for the violence that occurred a week ago.

On the wider regional front of direct concern to Myanmar, the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) hinted today that it had been given some indications that Ms. Suu Kyi might be well.

However, the current standoff in Myanmar was of interest to the Association whose image, too, was at stake, it was pointed out. Myanmar is a member of the ASEAN group.

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