statement

INTERVIEW WITH DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI

CONCERNING RECENT ARRESTS

DURING WATER FESTIVAL

April 27, 2000 SMUGGLED FOOTAGE FROM BURMA OF AUNG SAN SUU KYI Note: § The footage was shot just before U Aye Tha Aung's arrest. Aung San Suu Kyi subsequently sent a note confirming that over 40 arrests had been made, and that U Aye Tha Aung was arrested. She wrote: "We shall be continuing with our work despite the harassment". § According to witnesses in Rangoon, U Aye Tha Aung's was ransacked during the arrest on Monday night. Papers were confiscated. U Aye Tha Aung, who represented several ethnic parties on the CRPP was taken to an unknown location. Neither his family nor colleagues have been able to determine the place of his detention or the state of his health. § Meanwhile, it is understood that the youth members arrested during the recent water festival (mid-April) are being held at Insein Prison, where they are being interrogated. Grave concerns about their safety are well-founded, considering the track record of the military intelligence for inflicting extreme torture. TRANSCRIPT: INTERVIEW WITH DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI CONCERNING RECENT ARRESTS DURING WATER FESTIVAL Q: I would like to ask you on the latest on the activities of the Burmese regime and the conditions generally in Burma, Rangoon at this point. A: Well, some observers have been saying that this regime has been behaving fairly well since the beginning of this year, but I'm afraid they haven't kept up with their good behavior. I think that's a bit too much for them. Because during the water festival they started arresting quite recently, that is the 12th of April, the water festival started on the 12th of April and they waited for that time to arrest our people. Because during the water festival the office is closed and they usually make their arrests over the holiday period so people cannot get in touch. And they started arresting a lot of our young people. Those who had been part of the reorganization process. We have been reorganizing the youth wing of the NLD and this we had done within our rights as a political party. We had these reorganization meetings with the precincts of our party offices or the houses of our members and everything was very quiet and very orderly. But the very fact that there is any kind of activity within the NLD seems to trouble the authorities. Sometimes I almost think it frightens them. They really get into a terrible tizz when we start reorganizing our young people. We have to reorganize our young people because the point is that young people get old, you see. After a certain age you can't call them young people anymore so you have replace them with younger ones They arrested over 40 people. They also arrested 3 house owners, the houses in which the meetings took place. They have now been under arrest since the 12th and today it's certainly more than 24 hours and according to the law they shouldn't arrest anybody without any warrant. And of course all the people were taken away without any warrant on sight. They are not allowed to keep people for more than 24 hours without bringing up some sort of charge. They haven't been charged with anything yet but our legal aid committee is looking into the matter. This is a demonstration of the fact that as far as human rights violations are concerned, this regime is not getting any better at all. And we hope very much that the human rights conference in Geneva will take due note of the matter. Q: Is there any sort of change in the way that the regime works, in the way they arrest. A: No. Well the leopard certainly has not changed its spots. And the way in which those who were arrested were not allowed, have so far been not allowed to contact either their families or their legal advisers. Q: So nothing.. A: Absolutely nothing. This is the way it always happens in Burma. Arrests usually take place at night and very often they take place over a holiday period. And those who are taken away are not allowed to contact their families and they are not allowed to contact any legal adviser. We provide legal aid. We are not given any contact with the detainees and then suddenly we are told "now they have been sentenced to so many years in prison." Just like that. We don't even know when they were tried, how they were sentenced, how they were sentenced. This is how things happen in Burma Q: (indistinct)….. as a leader A: The authorities are not relaxed at all. A few days ago I went to visit U Tin Oo, our vice-chairman, I went to visit the families of those who have been arrested and we were followed by about six carloads of different intelligence people and goodness knows how many motorbikes. At least 6 cars and numerous motorbikes surrounding us, following us, trying to intimidate the people and lots of cameramen, video cameras, still cameras, trying to frighten the people, taking photographs of them, trying to keep them away form us. This is normal behavior Q: Just a closing line on the spirit of the people at this point in time in Rangoon and across the country. A: I think, in general, the people of Burma are afraid. There is a climate of fear but within this climate of fear I'm very proud to say there are many, many brave people. Brave people are not those who don't know fear, who are afraid but who carry on in spite of their fear. They don't say that they're not afraid, they are afraid but still, they're committed enough to carry on with their work, in spite of their fear. Those are the really courageous ones and I'm very proud of them. ----------------------------------- A L T S E A N - B U R M A Alternative Asean Network on Burma Tel: 66 2 275 1811 * Fax: 66 2 693 4515