From the Worldwide Faith News archives www.wfn.org
Church Delegation Barred from Meeting Burma’s
From
CAROL_FOUKE.parti@ecunet.org
Date
27 Nov 1996 17:20:43
Aung San Suu Kyi
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the
U.S.A.
Contact: Wendy McDowell, NCC, 212-870-2227
or Carol J. Fouke, NCC (long weekend 212-662-
9999)
Internet: carol_fouke.parti@ecunet.org
NCC11/27/96 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BURMESE MILITARY PREVENTS CHURCH LEADERS MEETING
RANGOON, BURMA, Nov. 27 ---- A scheduled Nov.
16 meeting between representatives from the National
Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.
(NCC), World Council of Churches (WCC), Christian
Aid (Great Britain) and Norwegian Church Aid with
Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi, 1991 Nobel Peace Laureate
and democracy advocate, was prevented by military
personnel surrounding Aung San Suu Kyi’s Rangoon
home.
“The world should know that in spite of what
the Burmese government has told the world, Aung San
Suu Kyi is not free,” said the Rev. Larry
Tankersley, Director of the NCC Southern Asia
Office, who just returned from Burma (Myanmar).
“She is still essentially under house arrest.”
The meeting was scheduled for Saturday, Nov.
16, at 10:30 a.m., but when the group arrived, they
found that the military had closed down traffic to
Aung San Suu Kyi’s home. The group parked their car
two blocks away and tried to walk in, but were
stopped by military personnel who insisted that the
church leaders could not advance any farther. Even
after contacting other security guards, the church
leaders were turned away.
“We were able to contact Aung San Suu Kyi later
by phone from the hotel,” the Rev. Tankersley said.
“She had been quite eager to meet with us, and was
disappointed (that we were turned away). She feels
quite isolated.” Rev. Tankersley and the other
representatives were in Burma attending the WCC
Roundtable for the Myanmar Council of Churches.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace
Laureate, was elected democratically by more than an
80 percent majority but was prevented from taking
office in 1988 when the military took over the
government and held her under house arrest. In
1995, the military claimed that she had been set
free and she began holding weekly meetings with her
supporters. This recent experience reveals that the
military is clamping down again, Rev. Tankersley
said.
The NCC has worked with the Myanmar Council of
Churches for many years and also actively supports
the Burma Border Coalition, which provides relief
aid to 100,000 Burmese refugees on the border with
Thailand. The U.S. government has taken a strong
stand against the military government and President
Clinton recently condemned the military’s actions.
-end-
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