 Views
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"No
Secret Deal"
In response
to concerns expressed by non-Burman ethnic leaders about the secret meetings
held between the leader of the National League for Democracy Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi and Senior General Than Shwe, Chairman of the State Law and
Order Restoration Council, and Secretary 1 Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt in September
and again with Khin Nyunt in October 1994, Dr Michael Aris released the
following statement in Bangkok on 23 January 1995:
"It
has always been the firm conviction of those working for democracy in
Burma that it is only through meaningful dialogue between diverse political
forces that we can achieve national reconciliation, which is the first
and most vital requisite for a united and prosperous country.
That the
international community shares this view is evident from clause 5 of the
General Assembly resolution of December 1994 which encourages the Government
of Burma to engage ‘in a substantive political dialogue with Aung
San Suu Kyi and other political leaders, including representatives from
ethnic groups, as the best means of promoting national reconciliation
and the full and early restoration of democracy.’
It was in
full acceptance of this view and with genuine good will that I approached
the meeting with members of the State Law and Order Restoration Council
on 20 September and 28 October 1994.
There have
not been and there will not be any secret deals with regard either to
my release or to any other issue. I adhere to the principle of accountability
and consider myself at all times bound by the democratic duty to act in
consultation with colleagues and to be guided by the aspirations of those
engaged in the movement to establish a truly democratic political system
in Burma. I remain dedicated to an active participation in this movement."
Aung San
Suu Kyi
22 January 1995
Rangoon, Burma.
Note: As
a result of Dr Michael Aris’ role in publicizing Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi’s position regarding the 1994 talks with SLORC, he was barred
from visiting his wife. Dr Aris died on 27 March 1999 in England of cancer
without ever seeing her again.
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