Aung San Suu Kyi meets Shan state supporters ( AP ) November 15, 2002


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Aung San Suu Kyi meets Shan state supporters

YANGON, Nov 15 (AFP)

Myanmar pro-democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi met hundreds of supporters Friday on a tour she was continuing through Shan state despite the cancellation of a trip there by a UN envoy visiting the country, a source in her party said.

But diplomatic sources confirmed that while the UN's Razali Ismail had scrapped his visit to the state, his aides who accompanied him to Myanmar flew Friday from Yangon to the southern Shan capital of Taunggyi where Aung San Suu Kyi was engaged in political business.

"The three went there this afternoon," a diplomatic source said of UN aides Hitoki Den and Damon Bristow, as well as Razali confidant Leon de Riedmatten of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.It was not immediately clear if the aides had met with the Nobel peace laureate after arriving in Shan state.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been exercising her newly won right to travel freely in the country by spending an extended period in the restive state, where she is opening four offices of her National League for Democracy (NLD), the party said.She met some 500 supporters and party members in Taunggyi, where she helped erect signboards at the newest NLD office and warned them against seeking personal gain through politics.

"Please do not join the party because you want privileges," the source quoted her as saying."Your actions should be in the interests of not just yourself but the majority of the people."

"The Lady", as she is commonly known through much of the country, was due to spend several days in and around Taunggyi before eventually proceeding north to the town of Lashio.

"In Shan state, the movement of the military is much heavier than in the rest of the country," NLD spokesman U Lwin said."It is an interesting place for her to visit and to start talking about democratisation."

Aung San Suu Kyi has made several political trips around the country since she was released in May from 19 months under house arrest with a guarantee that she would have complete freedom of movement.

On Thursday Razali said he had scrapped his trip to Shan state after meeting with Myanmar's leader, Senior General Than Shwe, in talks critical to the diplomat's efforts to revitalise a stalled reconciliation process.

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