Myanmar women's group denounces harassment of Aung San Suu Kyi ( AFP ) January 9, 2003

Myanmar women's group denounces harassment of Aung San Suu Kyi

CHIANG MAI, Thailand, Jan 9 (AFP)

An exiled Myanmar women's group Friday denounced Myanmar's military government for harassing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a recent political trip to western Myanmar.

The All Women's Movement Committee of Burma (AWMCB) said the junta had released pamphlets with caricatures ridiculing the Nobel peace laureate and blasted crowds with music such as "Give Up Lady" during last month's tour.

"The obstruction, limitation and irritation to her on private visits to pagodas and monasteries, and during public gatherings, violated her dignity and her political movements," it said in a statement.

The AWMCB called on the regime to stop its harassment of the opposition leader and to allow her to conduct her party business freely, as it promised after releasing her from house arrest last May.

"We believe that the (junta) should review its dire behaviour and respect the rights of the political leader," said senior member Aye Aye Mar.

The government has been forced to defend itself against strong criticism from the United States and Britain that it had harassed Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters during the trip to Rakhine state.The most serious incident occurred in the town of Myauk-Oo, where she climbed aboard a fire engine to prevent it from dispersing a crowd of 20,000 people with high-pressure hoses.

The US State Department has issued a statement in support of the opposition leader, and called on the Myanmar junta to allow political parties "to carry their message to the Burmese people in safety".

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won an overwhelming election victory in 1990 but the junta has never recognised the result.