Daw Aung San Suu Kyi demands an enquiry commission on Dipeyin incident

October 24, 2003

A reliable source told DVB that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi demanded the formation of an enquiry commission on Dipeyin incident during her meeting with the UN special envoy to Burma, Mr. Razali Ismail.

Mr. Razali met Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on the 1 October and had discussion with her for nearly 90 minutes. During that meeting, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi demanded the formation of an enquiry commission and the releases of detained NLD leaders within a month.

On the same day of the meeting, Mr. Razali met General Khin Nyunt, the ‘Prime Minister’ of the Burmese military regime, the SPDC and the envoy also met the chairman of the regime, General Than Shwe on the next day.

Mr. Razali requested General Khin Nyunt to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi but the general told him that he could not make the decision on his own. When Mr. Razali met General Than Shwe, he was told by the general that the regime has ‘to think for 50 million people in stead of one person’. The general also told him that there are many things to be done before the transition is to happen in Burma. He also insisted that the people of Burma are ‘supporting’ the regime’s roadmap plan by pointing out at some of the forced rallies around the country.

Mr. Razali received no concrete assurance from the SPDC in his previous trip to Burma, according to a western diplomat who has the in-depth knowledge of the trip. The diplomat also said that there is no likely possibility to work with Than Shwe in the future. According to other diplomats in Rangoon, Than Shwe is a hardliner and he even ordered people not to mention Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s name in front of him.

Another diplomat said that ASEAN leaders are gradually beginning to understand that it is impossible to work with General Than Shwe and that leaves only General Khin Nyunt for them to deal with and they are keeping their faith in him. Therefore, ASEAN leaders insisted on giving General Khin Nyunt more time and supporting his roadmap plan during the previous top ASEAN regional meeting, added the diplomat. The neighbouring countries are supporting Khin Nyunt with the purpose of making him more powerful in the regime as if they were putting all their money in one horse in a bet. But the action is quite dangerous, commented the same western diplomat in Bangkok.

Mr. Razali is said to be have lost hope to work with Than Shwe and he seems to believe that the SPDC could still be in control without any opposition inside Burma. Therefore, Mr. Razali is willing to work along the line of the SPDC’s roadmap plan with some adaptations, according to a source from the UN.

An exiled Burmese opposition leader who doesn’t want to be identified said that Mr. Razali should tell the world the real situation of Burma and the obstinacy of the generals instead of finding ‘new ways’. ‘I don’t blame him for not able to bring the SPDC to the table for the dialogue, but he should admit his failure,’ he insisted.