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PacNet #23 – Mayhem in Myanmar

The reports are still sketchy and contradictory, but there is no question that a serious incident has taken place in Upper Burma with the riots connected with Aung San Suu Kyi’s tour. An unclear number of people were killed and more injured. Whether she was hurt remains in dispute; expatriate opposition groups claim that she was, but the government has denied this. Ambassador Sri Tun Razali Ismail, the personal representative of UN Secretary General Kofi Anan, will be visiting the country soon. He has been largely responsible over some two years for pushing a dialogue between Daw Suu Kyi and the military junta, a dialogue that seems to have been stalled for about a year. He will no doubt try to visit her. If he is denied access, the only conclusion that the world will draw is that she was injured in the fracas.