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Reuters-Myanmar says Suu Kyi given



Myanmar says Suu Kyi given beach umbrella, chairs 
05:10 a.m. Aug 14, 1998 Eastern 

YANGON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Myanmar's military rulers said on Friday they
had provided a beach umbrella and other items to ensure the comfort of
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in her road standoff with the
authorities. 

The 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner, a senior member of her National League
for Democracy (NLD), and two drivers were still stuck on a country road on
Friday, prevented by the military from visiting supporters in western
Myanmar. 

They were stopped by police in their minivan on Wednesday. 
The trip was a repeat of one last month that led to a six-day standoff in
her car and was ended forcibly on July 29. 

The NLD say the government is infringing their human rights by preventing
them from travelling. 

The government says it cannot allow Suu Kyi and her companions to endanger
themselves by travelling in the western part of Myanmar which it says is
violent. 

``Ms Suu Kyi, U Hla Pe and their two chauffeurs continued to rest in a
camping vehicle near Anyarsu village outside Yangon today, while the
government of Myanmar made every effort to ensure their comfort and
safety,'' the goverment said in a statement. 

``In order to provide for their comfort and welfare, government officials
have provided a beach umbrella, some garden chairs and a selection of
journals to help Ms Suu Kyi pass the time,'' it said 

It said Suu Kyi could stay in Anyarsu ``as long as conditions remain safe''
and would be free to travel to Pathein, her destination on Wednesday, when
security conditions permitted. 

``The government has provided an ambulance exclusively for their use. There
are not many ambulances in Yangon, however, and the government hopes that
Ms Suu Kyi and her companions will return home soon, so that the ambulance
and medical staff may be put back to use helping the truly needy.'' 

Foreign governments have called on Yangon to open a dialogue with Suu Kyi,
the daughter of independence hero Aung San, and remove restrictions on her.


Suu Kyi's NLD won a general election in Myanmar in 1990 by a wide margin
but the result was ignored by the military. 

Yangon has rebuffed growing international calls for change.