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U.S Deplores Arrests in Myanmar



US deplores arrests in Myanmar
Tue 08 Sep 98 - 18:51 GMT
WASHINGTON, Sept 8 (AFP) - The United States strongly condemned Tuesday the
arrest
of 110 more opposition figures in Myanmar, saying the detentions would only
worsen a
simmering political crisis there.
State Department spokesman James Rubin said Washington had protested through
its embassy
the arrest of another 110 people, in addition to 110 detained since the
weekend, and urged the
ruling junta to free them.
US officials are urging the ruling State Peace and Development Council "to
release these
individuals immediately and to take action to solve the nation's serious
political problems
through serious, substantive negotiations with Aung San Suu Kyi and her
party," Rubin said.
Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, leads the opposition National
League for
Democracy (NLD), which won 1990 elections but has been barred by the junta
from
convening a parliament.
"The United States deplores in the strongest of terms the September 6
detention of well over
100 opposition figures, both elected members of Parliament and party rank and
file," said
Rubin.
"Resolution of the political impasse in Burma will require real substantive
dialogue with the
democratic opposition, including Aung San Suu Kyi and representatives of the
ethnic groups,"
he said.
"Arbitrary detentions are unjustifiable and will only worsen rather than solve
the political crisis,"
Rubin said.
Earlier Tuesday, Human Rights Watch voiced grave concern at the arrests in
Myanmar, in what
analysts saw as a bid by the junta to prevent the opposition from unilaterally
convening a
parliament.
The New York-based group urged foreign ministers from Japan, Europe, and
Southeast Asia,
set to meet in New York September 23-24, to condemn the arrests.
It called on those governments to urge "all appropriate measures to allow all
citizens to
participate freely in the political process ... and to permit them to
participate in a meaningful
process of national reconciliation."
In the Myanmar capital, Yangon, NLD members said the military government had
arrested 110
more of its members, bringing the total number of arrests since the weekend to
220.
The arrests appeared to constitute a pre-emptive strike after the NLD's
announcement that it
intends unilaterally to convene the parliament elected in 1990 by the end of
this month.
The junta said in a statement the party members had merely been invited for a
political
discussion.
But the US embassy in Yangon said military officials had admitted that the
activists were being
detained to thwart the convening of parliament.
US charge d'affaires Kent Wiedemann held high-level talks with military
officials on Monday to
demand the detainees be freed, an embassy spokesperson said.
Frustrated at the political impasse in Yangon, formerly Burma, the US Senate
last week voted
to earmark 10 million dollars in funding next year to promote democracy there
and aid its
displaced nationals.
At least two million dollars may be released only after written consultation
with NLD leaders
elected in 1990. The legislation must now pass the lower House before it
becomes law.