Burma's Suu Kyi Honors Slain Dad

[moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

                         Burma's Suu Kyi Honors Slain Dad 

                         Saturday, July 19, 1997; 11:10 a.m. EDT 

                         RANGOON, Burma (AP) -- Embattled pro-democracy
                         leader Aung San Suu Kyi paid solemn tribute to her
father --
                         Burma's independence leader and greatest hero -- on
the 50th
                         anniversary of his assassination Saturday. 

                         Although her movements have been sharply restricted
by the
                         country's military rulers, Suu Kyi was allowed to
take part in
                         ceremonies at the white marble mausoleum where Aung
San is
                         buried. 

                         Suu Kyi, the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner, has endured
                         house arrest, harassment and the jailings of many
followers, but
                         observers say her father's prestige protects her from
                         imprisonment, or worse, by the military junta. 

                         Gen. Aung San, then 36, and six of his ministers
were shot and
                         killed less than six months before Burma gained
independence
                         from Britain in January 1948. A former prime
minister, U Saw,
                         was charged with the assassinations and executed. 

                         The charismatic, handsome Aung San led Burma's largely
                         peaceful independence struggle and is widely
revered. His
                         death is annually marked as Martyrs Day. 

                         Dressed in a white jacket and black sarong and
shawl, Suu Kyi
                         laid three baskets of orchids at the gravesides,
touched the
                         ground three times with her forehead and clasped
her hands in
                         a sign of Buddhist reverence. 

                         Representatives of Burma's ruling military council
attended the
                         ceremony. 

                         At her lakeside home, Suu Kyi held a private religious
                         observance for about 500 supporters and diplomats.
Offerings
                         of food and robes were presented to 50 Buddhist monks. 

                         The ceremonies came three days after a rare meeting
between
                         the military and Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy.
                         Although the reason remains unclear, Lt. Gen. Khin
Nyunt met
                         with three members of the party, including chairman
Aung
                         Shwe. Suu Kyi was not included. 

                         ``We all welcome the meeting. There is a ray of
hope,'' said Tin
                         Oo, vice chairman of the party, at the mausoleum.
``It's a good
                         start but a dialogue is not complete without Aung
San Suu
                         Kyi.'' 

                         Suu Kyi refused to comment on the meeting and asked
                         whether others might follow she said: ``I don't
believe in
                         speculation in politics.'' 

                         Suu Kyi, who had lived abroad with her British husband,
                         returned to Burma in 1988 and was propelled to the
forefront
                         of a pro-democracy uprising against military rule.
Her initial
                         popularity stemmed from being Aung San's daughter. 

                         The junta crushed the uprising and annulled results
of a 1990
                         general election, which Suu Kyi's party won. Suu
Kyi herself
                         was placed under six years of house arrest.