05 June 2003
U.S. Reports Signs of Deliberate Attack on Burmese Activist's Motorcade
(June 5 State Department news release) (450)
U.S. officials have found indications that a motorcade carrying
Burmese democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi May 30 was hit in a
"premeditated ambush," and that the individuals carrying out the
assault on her group were affiliated with Burma's ruling authority,
according to a June 5 statement by Deputy State Department Spokesman
Philip Reeker.
"We call on the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) in
Burma to provide a full accounting of the dead, injured, and missing,"
Reeker said.
He termed as "outrageous and unacceptable" the continued detention in
isolation of Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of her political
party.
"We call on the SPDC to release them immediately, and to provide all
necessary medical attention to those who have been injured, including
assistance from international specialists," Reeker said.
Following is the text of Reeker's June 5 statement on the May 30
ambush of Aung San Suu Kyi:
(begin text)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
June 5, 2003
STATEMENT BY PHILIP T. REEKER, DEPUTY SPOKESMAN
Burma - Ambush on Aung San Suu Kyi
Officials from the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon have returned from a visit
to the site of the May 30 violent attack on Aung San Suu Kyi and her
traveling party. Their findings indicate that there was a premeditated
ambush on Aung San Suu Kyi's motorcade. Circumstances and reports from
individuals in the region indicate that the attack was conducted by
government-affiliated thugs. The debris remaining at the scene
suggests a major clash, which could easily have resulted in serious
injuries to large numbers of people.
We call on the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) in
Burma to provide a full accounting of the dead, injured, and missing.
The continued detention in isolation of Aung San Suu Kyi and other
members of her political party is outrageous and unacceptable. We call
on the SPDC to release them immediately, and to provide all necessary
medical attention to those who have been injured, including assistance
from international specialists. The offices of the National League for
Democracy closed by the SPDC should be reopened without delay and
their activities no longer proscribed.
United Nations Special Envoy Razali Ismail will be visiting Burma on
June 6. The U.S. fully supports his efforts. He must be allowed to see
Aung San Suu Kyi and other opposition leaders. If Amb. Razali is not
able to meet privately with Aung San Suu Kyi, the U.S. will need to
evaluate the utility of this U.N.-sponsored effort to support national
reconciliation in Burma.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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