Year of House Arrest Seen for 2 Myanmar Dissidents

Two leading opposition figures under house arrest in Myanmar could be detained at least a year, military authorities in Yangon announced Friday.

A government spokesman in Yangon, the city formerly known as Rangoon when the country was called Burma, told a news conference that “outsiders” were forbidden to communicate with the detained leaders, Aung San Suu Kyi and Tin U of the National League for Democracy, who were placed under house arrest Thursday.

“Action has to be taken for their repeated attempts to divide the military and the people and also to cause disunity among the military,” the spokesman, Kyaw Sann, said. “Both of them mounted their incitement in the last two months, finally using confrontational strategy to destroy the military and revive anarchy in the country.”

Extended Detention?

Asked whether the two leaders will be allowed to take part in elections promised for next year, the spokesman said they could be kept under house arrest for at least a year and that it could be extended under a law protecting the state from disruptive elements.

“They will be held as long as the dangers of disruption of peace and tranquillity by them exist,” he said.

The U.S. State Department had criticized the Myanmar government Thursday, saying that the arrest of opposition leaders “cast serious doubt” on the government’s promises of free elections.

The elections were promised by the government of Gen. Saw Maung, who took power last Sept. 18 after nearly two months of student-led democracy demonstrations in the capital. Thousands of demonstrators were killed as the protests were suppressed.

Increasing Criticism

Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of independence hero Aung San, has in recent weeks been increasingly critical of the government, demanding that it implement its promises of democracy.

Western diplomats said she appeared headed for a confrontation with the government.

On Tuesday, she called off planned demonstrations marking Martyr’s Day, which commemorates the assassination 41 years ago of her father and six other leaders, after the government announced that military commanders had been empowered to order troops to fire on demonstrators.

On Thursday, reports filtering out of Yangon said that Aung San Suu Kyi’s home had been surrounded by government soldiers who refused her offer to surrender. The country’s telephone and cable communications with the outside world were cut off briefly.

The Myanmar authorities also have suspended the issuance of visas to foreign correspondents wishing to visit the country and on Tuesday expelled a visiting journalist of Reuters news agency.