UN Special Envoy's Request to Meet Aung San Suu Kyi Rejected by Burmese Officials - 2003-06-08

The United Nations special envoy to Burma stated that during the final days of his recent visit to Burma, he would continue to insist on meeting with the detained leader of the freedom movement, Aung San Suu Kyi. The request of Razali Ismail, the UN special envoy, to meet with the renowned leader for democracy in Burma was rejected by the Burmese government officials on Saturday. However, he was able to negotiate for over an hour with General Khin Nyunt, the third highest-ranking official in the country. Following clashes between Aung San Suu Kyi's supporters and government demonstrators last week in a city in the northern province, Aung San Suu Kyi was detained by Burmese police. She has not been seen in public since her arrest. The ruling generals of Burma continue to prevent access to Aung San Suu Kyi, the imprisoned leader of the democracy movement, disregarding international condemnation. Ms. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was arrested ten days ago following bloody clashes between her supporters and military regime supporters, on the orders of the military authorities. Razali Ismail, the UN special envoy, has been attempting to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi during his five-day mission in Burma. According to Mr. Razali's aides, he is scheduled to meet with senior government officials in Burma on Monday, and if the generals continue to prevent him from accessing the leader of the democracy movement, he will cut his trip short.