[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index ][Thread Index ]

NEWS - Is Ne Win the Answer to Myan



Is Ne Win the Answer to Myanmar's Problems?

               Reuters
               05-JAN-98
               By Deborah Charles 

               BANGKOK, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Political
               stalemate in Myanmar (Burma) has
               become so entrenched that veteran
               politicians have now suggested the
               unfathomable -- that former strongman Ne
               Win come back to help solve the nation's
               problems. 

               Reaction was mixed on Monday to the
               surprise suggestion, made by a veteran
               politician who played a key role in
               Myanmar's struggle for independence 50
               years ago, that the former leader might be
               able to help bring about national
               reconciliation. 

               Late on Sunday, 89-year-old Thakin Chit
               told a gathering of veteran politicians in
               Yangon that Ne Win might be able to help
               the nation become peaceful. 

               ``I would like to propose that if
               ex-president, retired General Ne Win --
               who used to be able to do a lot in the past
               -- will work, the entire country could
               become peaceful and pleasant,'' Thakin
               Chit told a group of about 120 veteran
               politicians, democracy activists and
               diplomats at a ceremony to mark the 50th
               anniversary of independence from Britain. 

               One diplomat laughed when asked about
               the idea, saying it was ironic to think that
               Ne Win -- whose very name invoked such
               fear over the past few years that he is
               referred to in Myanmar simply as ``the Old
               Man'' -- could find common ground
               between the military government and the
               opposition. 

               ``They invited Ne Win to help out. It does
               seem to be a complete contradiction,'' he
               said. 

               Another diplomat was less cynical, saying
               it was natural that the veteran politicians
               would think of turning to Ne Win, who was
               part of the ``Thirty Comrades'' group of
               nationalists that fought for independence
               from Britain. 

               ``It's not completely wild,'' the diplomat
               said. ``Obviously it was inevitable that
               someone should suggest that Ne Win play
               a role -- he is one of the five surviving
               members of the 30 comrades (living in
               Myanmar).'' 

               The former strongman, who ruled Burma
               with an iron fist for more than a quarter of
               a century under his ill-fated 1962-1988
               ``Burmese Way to Socialism'' doctrine, is
               rarely mentioned in public and has
               scarcely been seen since relinquishing
               power nearly 10 years ago. 

               A personal visit to Indonesia in September
               was one of the first times he had been in
               the public eye since he stepped down in
               1988, although many analysts and
               diplomats feel he still has a good deal of
               influence over the government. 

               Many people in Yangon believe that Ne
               Win had something to do with a surprise
               government change in November, which
               took place shortly after he went to
               Indonesia. The change abolished the
               State Law and Order Restoration Council
               (SLORC) and created a new military body
               -- the State Peace and Development
               Council. 

               ``I don't think his intervening in political
               affairs would be that surprising,'' the
               second diplomat said. 

               ``But the possibility of him talking to the
               opposition would be. I think his position
               vis-a-vis the opposition is pretty hard line.
               So I couldn't imagine him willing to help
               with dialogue.'' 

               Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who
               was at the ceremony when Thakin Chit
               made the suggestion, did not comment on
               Sunday and could not be reached on
               Monday. 

               But the 1991 Nobel Peace laureate, whose
               father General Aung San was
               assassinated as he worked for the
               independence of Myanmar, has repeated
               her as yet unanswered call for dialogue
               with the military. 

               On Sunday she urged the government to
               hold talks and lashed out at the ruling
               generals for failing to give the freedoms
               fought for by her father and other freedom
               fighters. 

               She said in a recent interview released in
               part on Saturday that she was confident
               there would be a democratically elected
               government in the ``not too distant future.''

               Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy
               won a landslide victory in a 1990 poll but
               the SLORC did not recognise the result. 

               A government spokesman made only a
               brief comment when asked to respond to
               the suggestion made by Thakin Chit and
               supported by other veteran politicians. 

               ``U Ne Win is not involved in politics and
               he had already stated that he would not be
               involved,'' he told Reuters.