The military had arranged for her to meet Tuesday with labor minister Aung Kyi, who is tasked with coordinating official talks with her, the government- owned newspaper New Light of Myanmar said.
But she informed her lawyer U Kyi Win during a meeting Monday that she wouldn't speak with the minister, and also refused to see her doctor for a scheduled medical checkup, the paper said.
"For the time being, she wanted to meet no one, except advocate U Kyi Win," the paper said.
The talks with the liaison officer had been arranged at the request of the United Nations, following the visit of U.N. envoy Ibrahim Gambari last month, it added.
Suu Kyi, 63, refused to meet with Gambari during his six-day mission to the country. He was also shunned by the junta leader Than Shwe, who didn't invite the envoy to visit the capital Naypyidaw.
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, or NLD, party hasn't been able to explain her actions, but analysts have said she could be protesting the dialogue with the regime, which has yielded no tangible results.
The NLD has said Suu Kyi has stopped collecting her food supplies, but stressed that the circumstances were unclear and hasn't called her actions a hunger strike.
Lawyer Kyi Win said after his meeting with her Monday that she had lost weight but seemed to be feeling well.
He said they discussed a planned appeal of her current detention, which began more than five years ago.
She has met with her lawyer three times over the past month. Before August, she hadn't been allowed to see him since 2004.
The NLD won elections in 1990, but has never been allowed to take office. The regime now says it is preparing new polls for 2010 under a new constitution, which the party says will merely entrench military rule.
But she informed her lawyer U Kyi Win during a meeting Monday that she wouldn't speak with the minister, and also refused to see her doctor for a scheduled medical checkup, the paper said.
"For the time being, she wanted to meet no one, except advocate U Kyi Win," the paper said.
The talks with the liaison officer had been arranged at the request of the United Nations, following the visit of U.N. envoy Ibrahim Gambari last month, it added.
Suu Kyi, 63, refused to meet with Gambari during his six-day mission to the country. He was also shunned by the junta leader Than Shwe, who didn't invite the envoy to visit the capital Naypyidaw.
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, or NLD, party hasn't been able to explain her actions, but analysts have said she could be protesting the dialogue with the regime, which has yielded no tangible results.
The NLD has said Suu Kyi has stopped collecting her food supplies, but stressed that the circumstances were unclear and hasn't called her actions a hunger strike.
Lawyer Kyi Win said after his meeting with her Monday that she had lost weight but seemed to be feeling well.
He said they discussed a planned appeal of her current detention, which began more than five years ago.
She has met with her lawyer three times over the past month. Before August, she hadn't been allowed to see him since 2004.
The NLD won elections in 1990, but has never been allowed to take office. The regime now says it is preparing new polls for 2010 under a new constitution, which the party says will merely entrench military rule.
Anti-gov't Protesters Remain Defiant
The Federation of State Enterprises comprising 43 unions had planned to lead more than 200,000 workers in strikes to crimp the supplies of power and water to government offices, and disrupt telecommunications and rail, road and air transport. The impact was not immediately clear early Wednesday, but just the threat of a walkout by more than 200,000 workers has emboldened protesters who have laid siege on Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's office since August 26, refusing to leave until he steps down.
But few services were disrupted by the protesters, who want to oust Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej from office, accusing him of corruption, violating the Constitution and making questionable appointments to senior government positions.
Sawit Khaewwan, the federation's secretary-general, said thousands stayed away from their jobs but acknowledged that a majority of the members were at work. He said that essential services were not hit.
"We already said that we will (go on a strike) only if the government uses force to harm the people," he said.
The anti-Samak campaign is led by the People's Alliance for Democracy, which comprises leftist labor union leaders, urban elite and civil society activists, among others.
Thousands of PAD supporters remained camped in the sprawling grounds around Samak's office, the Government House, in a virtual siege that started on August 26. Speakers took turns to get up on a stage and denounce Samak.
"The PAD will not hold talks with the government or anyone," said Somsak Kosaisuk, one of the five core leaders of the group. "The PAD will talk only after Samak has resigned," he said.
The PAD was formed in 2006 to demand the resignation of then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, eventually paving the way for a bloodless coup that ousted him. Thaksin, a telecommunications tycoon, recently fled to Britain to escape corruption charges. The protesters say Samak is Thaksin's stooge and is running the government for him by proxy.
However, there is no indication Samak will step down. He imposed emergency rule limited to the capital Bangkok on Tuesday. The move came after a week of political tensions exploded into rioting and street fighting early Tuesday between Samak's supporters and opponents that left one person dead and dozens injured.
Emergency rule gives the military the right to restore order, allows authorities to suspend civil liberties, bans public gatherings of more than five people and bars the media from reporting news that "causes panic."
Still, the army chief, Gen Anupong Paochinda, made it clear that if troops are ordered into Bangkok's streets, they will be armed only with riot shields and batons, and will not use force.
Anupong's assurance has turned the emergency decree into "toilet paper," said Sirinan Yodkongkha, a 45-year-old business woman.
"The state of emergency has ended up drawing a bigger crowd rather than scaring protesters away," said Sirinan, one of several thousand people camped out at the Government House despite a morning downpour.
Scattered around the rounds, people rested in hammocks and helped themselves to a variety of Thai food, some distributed for free and some on sale at food stalls.
Water trucks continued to deliver new shipments of drinking water to keep protesters hydrated and hygiene trucks came to clean the portable toilets that were trucked into the compound several days ago.
New barbed-wire barricades were erected at the approaches to Bangkok's international Suvarnabhumi Airport, where protesters had threatened to disrupt flights on national carrier Thai Airways. But there was no sign of trouble and flights continued normally.
The threat to cut off water and electricity supply to government buildings also did not materialize.
"We don't know when we are going to start because we have to weigh our options and consider the effect it will have on the people as well," said Somchai Sirimivet, head of the union for Metropolitan WaterWorks Authority.
But few services were disrupted by the protesters, who want to oust Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej from office, accusing him of corruption, violating the Constitution and making questionable appointments to senior government positions.
Sawit Khaewwan, the federation's secretary-general, said thousands stayed away from their jobs but acknowledged that a majority of the members were at work. He said that essential services were not hit.
"We already said that we will (go on a strike) only if the government uses force to harm the people," he said.
The anti-Samak campaign is led by the People's Alliance for Democracy, which comprises leftist labor union leaders, urban elite and civil society activists, among others.
Thousands of PAD supporters remained camped in the sprawling grounds around Samak's office, the Government House, in a virtual siege that started on August 26. Speakers took turns to get up on a stage and denounce Samak.
"The PAD will not hold talks with the government or anyone," said Somsak Kosaisuk, one of the five core leaders of the group. "The PAD will talk only after Samak has resigned," he said.
The PAD was formed in 2006 to demand the resignation of then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, eventually paving the way for a bloodless coup that ousted him. Thaksin, a telecommunications tycoon, recently fled to Britain to escape corruption charges. The protesters say Samak is Thaksin's stooge and is running the government for him by proxy.
However, there is no indication Samak will step down. He imposed emergency rule limited to the capital Bangkok on Tuesday. The move came after a week of political tensions exploded into rioting and street fighting early Tuesday between Samak's supporters and opponents that left one person dead and dozens injured.
Emergency rule gives the military the right to restore order, allows authorities to suspend civil liberties, bans public gatherings of more than five people and bars the media from reporting news that "causes panic."
Still, the army chief, Gen Anupong Paochinda, made it clear that if troops are ordered into Bangkok's streets, they will be armed only with riot shields and batons, and will not use force.
Anupong's assurance has turned the emergency decree into "toilet paper," said Sirinan Yodkongkha, a 45-year-old business woman.
"The state of emergency has ended up drawing a bigger crowd rather than scaring protesters away," said Sirinan, one of several thousand people camped out at the Government House despite a morning downpour.
Scattered around the rounds, people rested in hammocks and helped themselves to a variety of Thai food, some distributed for free and some on sale at food stalls.
Water trucks continued to deliver new shipments of drinking water to keep protesters hydrated and hygiene trucks came to clean the portable toilets that were trucked into the compound several days ago.
New barbed-wire barricades were erected at the approaches to Bangkok's international Suvarnabhumi Airport, where protesters had threatened to disrupt flights on national carrier Thai Airways. But there was no sign of trouble and flights continued normally.
The threat to cut off water and electricity supply to government buildings also did not materialize.
"We don't know when we are going to start because we have to weigh our options and consider the effect it will have on the people as well," said Somchai Sirimivet, head of the union for Metropolitan WaterWorks Authority.
No comments:
Post a Comment