Letters to Asiaweek

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December 1, 1995

Letters & Comment

SUU KYI'S SOLDIERS

>From his perch in Australia breathing freely and enjoying the
fruits of freedom, Omar Farouk has faulted Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi for surrounding herself with former senior officers of the
Armed Forces (Letters & Comment, Nov. 17) History is replete
with warriors who later renounced violence and came to terms
with themselves and with the world.  Among them, in recent
memory, are Anwar Sadat, Yassir Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin. 
That these men possessed the wisdom to change their hearts in
search of peace is courageous.

U Kyaw Win
Laguna Hills
California


Omar Farouk ignores a relevant fact.  Gen. Tin U was jailed for
seven years because he and two other regional commanders
were asked by the "Young Turks" to lead the unsuccessful coup
against Gen. Ne Win in 1976.

I was a foreign service officer assigned to the Prime Minister's
Office in 1974.  I personally knew the "Young Turks" involved
in the 1976 coup attempt.  These young majors and captains
served as aides to cabinet ministers and we used to wait outside
when the cabinet was in session.

None of the present generals was involved with the "Young
Turks" coup attempt.  They loyally served Gen. Ne Win and
participated in the killing of unarmed civilians in 1988 for
demanding freedom, democracy and human rights.

U Hla Shwe
General Secretary
Federation for Human Rights and Democracy in Burma
Long Beach, California
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