Suu Kyi stand-off with junta continues

By Amit Baruah

SINGAPORE, AUG. 26. The Myanmar Opposition leader, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, continued to defy the military Government's diktat confining her to Yangon, by spending two consecutive nights in her car, on the road near Dala town. The Myanmar Government, meanwhile, claimed that the 55-year-old Nobel laureate continued to ``rest'' in Dala, south of Yangon. It is for the first time in two years that Ms. Suu Kyi has travelled out of Yangon, leading to a stand-off with military authorities. ``Until safety conditions improve, Daw Suu Kyi is visiting Dala, a small but charming town which is 10 minutes by boat from Yangon,'' the Government said in a statement.

``The Government encourages Daw Suu Kyi to return home and continue her political activities in a more secure environment in Yangon. She and her companions remain free to return to their homes at any time, or to continue staying by the roadside as long as the conditions remain safe,'' the statement added.

The United States and Britain, in the meantime, have criticised the Yangon Government's decision to curb the movements of Ms. Suu Kyi. ``The United States deplores the Government of Burma's (Myanmar) refusal to allow Aung San Suu Kyi and other National League of Democracy leaders to travel freely in their own country....,'' the U.S. State Department said in a statement.

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Section  : International
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