Political Situation by Dr. Sein Win

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NATIONAL COALITION GOVERNMENT OF THE UNION OF BURMA
Office of the UN Mission
Suite 5H, 429 East 52nd Street, New York
Tel: (212) 751-5312   Fax: (202) 759-4149
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POLITICAL SITUATION AFTER THE RELEASE OF AUNG SAN SUU KYI 

by Dr Sein Win, Prime Minister, NCGUB 

Delivered to the International League for Human Rights 
Breakfast Meeting, November 21, 1995 


Honored guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, 
 
Thank you for giving my delegation and me the opportunity to 
speak with you this morning.  As Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has 
been released it is crucial that we look critically at the 
true situation in Burma. To do this we must ask two 
questions: 
 
     1. Will the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi lead to a 
     better political climate, more freedom, easing of 
     restrictions placed on political parties and eventually 
     to dialogue between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, ethnic 
     leaders and the SLORC? and 
  
     2. Has the release signaled a change of policy on the 
     part of the SLORC and, therefore, will the human rights 
     situation improve? 
 
We all knew that it would take some time to answer these
questions following Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's release, however, 
it is now four months and the answers are becoming very 
clear. Look at the facts: 
 
a)  Immediately following her release, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi 
made it clear that she wanted to hold talks with the SLORC 
on any issue except the question of her leaving the country. 
She was also very diplomatic with the media hoping to create 
a political environment conducive to meaningful dialogue 
taking place. She has done everything in her power to 
convince the SLORC to talk, sadly without success. 
 
b)  At the time of her release the SLORC made it clear that 
she would be treated as any other citizen of Burma, not as 
the leader of the party which won the 1990 General Elections 
and not as the leader of the country's democratic movement. 
 
c)  Since August 1, the SLORC has started attacking Daw Aung 
San Sun Kyi using the state-owned media as the vehicle. 
Without using her name, SLORC has said she was jealous of 
their achievements, and in some articles, there are even 
indirect warnings to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the National 
League for Democracy. 
 
d)  Following Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's release SLORC sentenced 
U Thu Wai, Chairman of the Democracy Party and two other 
leading political figures to seven years imprisonment for 
allegedly distributing false information to foreign news 
agencies. 
 
e)  SLORC Foreign Minister, U Ohn Gyaw, in his address to 
the UNGA, mentioned Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's release, however, 
failed to make any mention of SLORC's commitment to 
democratic reform or improvements in the human rights 
situation. He spoke of national "reconsolidation" not 
"reconciliation" and 
 
f)  SLORC's Electoral Commission has rejected Daw Aung San 
Suu Kyi's reappointment as General Secretary of the National 
League for Democracy. 
 
If you consider these factors then it is clear to see that 
the answer to question No. 1. is, "No". 
 
If you consider that Amnesty International's and other human 
rights monitors confirm that there is wide spread use of 
slave labor, forced relocation, rape and land confiscation  
practiced by the SLORC army, hundreds of political prisoners 
remain languishing in Burmese prisons and the people of 
Burma are constantly subjected to fearful intimidation  
then you must say that the answer to question two is also 
clearly, "No." 
 
As Prime Minister of the National Coalition Government of 
the Union of Burma it is my duty to support the work of Aung 
San Suu Kyi and the NLD.  As a means to this end I have 
appointed Dr. Thaung Htun as our Permanent Representative to 
the United Nations. 
 
 
Thank you.

******