Details of an assassination attempt by the Burmese military junta on National League of Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her entourage are beginning to trickle out of Burma (Myanmar). According to unconfirmed reports, on the night of May 30, Suu Kyi, along with nineteen party members and local NLD supporters were stopped by agents of the military regime. Witnesses claim that her convoy was then set upon by hundreds of men using both manufactured and homemade weapons. Some eyewitnesses are now describing what followed as nothing short of a massacre. In the nearby town of Saing-Pyin, witnesses claim to have seen at least seventeen bodies brought into town, while some believe the death toll to be nearer to a hundred. These figures may never be confirmed as the bodies were immediately removed by government officials and cremated.
2003.06.08
Details of an assassination attempt by the Burmese military junta on National League of Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her entourage are beginning to trickle out of Burma (Myanmar).
According to unconfirmed reports, on the night of May 30, Suu Kyi, along with nineteen party members and local NLD supporters were stopped by agents of the military regime. Witnesses claim that her convoy was then set upon by hundreds of men using both manufactured and homemade weapons.
Varying reports state that military agents along with recently released prisoners were seen gathering on the day of May 30th. When word got around, some of Aung San Suu Kyi's supporters rallied to her side to warn her of the impending attack and to provide protection. As the crowd grew, the military stopped her convoy. Some eyewitnesses are now describing what followed as nothing short of a massacre.
Initial statements put the death toll at four, with seventeen others sustaining injuries. One of Aung San Suu Kyi's official bodyguards, Toe Lwin, was among the dead. In the nearby town of Saing-Pyin, witnesses claim to have seen at least seventeen bodies brought into town, while some believe the death toll to be nearer to a hundred. These figures may never be confirmed as the bodies were immediately removed by government officials and cremated.
Aung San Suu Kyi and her party were visiting villages to speak to supporters at the time of the ambush. Some believe that the military regime was becoming increasingly irritated by the growing numbers of NLD supporters attending her personal appearances.
The regime is now seeking to blame Suu Kyi and her bodyguards for provoking the violence.
Although it has been confirmed that Aung San Suu Kyi is now in military custody in Rangoon, her specific whereabouts or state of health are unknown. The Guardian reports that UN special envoy to Burma, Razali Ismail, is now in Rangoon demanding to see Suu Kyi¹.
¹Envoy Demands to See Suu Kyi, The Guardian, 07.06.03 – http://www.guardian.co.uk/burma/story/0,13373,972616,00.html
Author: David Ledden
News Service: theExperiment
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