Suu Kyi's day of freedom (The Asain

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Subject: Suu Kyi's day of freedom (The Asain Age, 2/1/97)

Suu Kyi's day of  freedom
The Asian Age, 2/1/97
 
Bangkok, Jan. 1: Burmese Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi attended a 
New Year's eve celebration outside her home, ignoring government 
restrictions on her movements, a party source said on Wednesday.
 
Ms Suu Kyi attended a dinner at the home of Kyi Maung, co-vice chairman 
of her National League for Democracy on Tuesday evening, the NLD source, 
reached by telephone from Bangkok, said.
 
The NLD source said the Opposition leader had left her compound without 
asking for permission from the military authorities, as they have asked 
her to do since an outbreak of student unrest last month.
 
"They told us to ask their permission, but she didn't want to ask their 
permission," the source said, adding that the Nobel Peace Prize laureate 
was not prevented from leaving her home.
 
It was the third time in the past week that Ms Suu Kyi was able to leave 
her home, without asking permission, despite blockades erected at the 
approaches to her suburban home.
 
In a statement received in Bangkok, a Burmese military official said that 
Ms Suu Kyi had stayed at Mr Maung's house until shortly after midnight.  
It added that the dinner had been attended by members of the NLD, their 
spouses and foreign journalists.
 
Although Ms Suu Kyi has managed to leave her compound, NLD officials say 
that the restrictions on her movements have not been lifted as she would 
not be allowed to go out and meet the public.
 
Although she has not asked for permission to leave her home, she has 
repeatedly informed the authorities of her movements.  Ms Suu Kyi was 
confined to her house for most of December following some of the most 
defiant student protests since 1988. (AFP)