With fresh arrests of pro-democracy followers of the Burmese opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and violent threats to “annihilate destructive elements”, Burma's hard-line military regime has served notice that a new U.N.-brokered dialogue on the country's political future seems in danger of floundering, with few signs of real movement towards reform.
The dialogue started last May, amid cautious hopes of a new opening after the release from 19 months of house arrest of Nobel peace prize laureate Suu Kyi - she had earlier spent six years detained in her run-down, wooden, lakeside villa.
The detention of 12 pro-democracy supporters and the aggressive statement by the information minister, prompted the U.S. to signal that, together with Britain, it may impose additional sanctions because of lack of progress towards ending the long political stalemate.
“Destructive elements” are the regime's code-words for Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD), which won the 1990 elections by a landslide, but were never permitted to take power. For its part, the European Union called on Rangoon to release all political prisoners and immediately hold a substantial dialogue with the NLD. Kofi Annan, the U.N. Secretary-General, said national reconciliation should begin with “constructive dialogue”.
The dialogue started last May, amid cautious hopes of a new opening after the release from 19 months of house arrest of Nobel peace prize laureate Suu Kyi - she had earlier spent six years detained in her run-down, wooden, lakeside villa.
The detention of 12 pro-democracy supporters and the aggressive statement by the information minister, prompted the U.S. to signal that, together with Britain, it may impose additional sanctions because of lack of progress towards ending the long political stalemate.
“Destructive elements” are the regime's code-words for Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD), which won the 1990 elections by a landslide, but were never permitted to take power. For its part, the European Union called on Rangoon to release all political prisoners and immediately hold a substantial dialogue with the NLD. Kofi Annan, the U.N. Secretary-General, said national reconciliation should begin with “constructive dialogue”.