NOVEMBER 15, 1999 VOL. 154 NO. 19

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	ALSO IN TIME
	Burma: Signs of Hope? Burma's ruling junta continues to squabble with Aung San Suu Kyi, but the generals now seem more attentive to international calls for reform Aung San Suu Kyi: 'This government is not capable of running the economy' Online Exclusive: Full text of TIME's interview with Aung San Suu Kyi Win Aung: 'Sincerity is needed on their side' Online Exclusive: Full text of TIME's interview with Foreign Minister Win Aung
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TIME: Were you successful in making your case to DeSoto?
Win Aung: We met again with him in a wrap-up session on Monday, October 18, and he told me, "The more time I spend here the more I understand how complex the situation is." He now admits there are many complex situations in our country. Some people thought the situation was simple and all you had to do was turn the coin. But I said if it were that simple, we'd be the happiest people.

People from the outside do not understand that. The composition of our ethnic population and also the difficulties presented by our geographical terrain make communication and development difficult. That is why we are building so many roads now, so that we can communicate better. Take the road to Muse, for example. We did not have the money for a four- or-six-lane highway, so we decided let us have a thin stretch of just one or two lanes. Later if we have more money, we can expand it.

We have built thousands of bridges. During 400 years under the British, only one bridge was built across the Irrawaddy. All our successive governments--led by U Nu and Ne Win--did not build any more. We have added another five, and we are planning another three, so there will be nine altogether. It is ironic that when we are trying to build and promote national unity, we have received not a cent from either the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank. At the same time we have been accused of having only a single source for our military hardware and spending so much on that hardware. But if we were buying so much military hardware, how could we build so many dams and bridges--103 with another 23 under construction.

We can travel to Thailand now without using ferries. What is now a two-hour trip by road used to take 22 hours by boat. Where is that money coming from? We have saved this money. We export whatever we can and use the money earned. We make our own cement. Steel components have to be imported from abroad. But we have managed this. Whatever money we have gotten [from outside sources] has not been wasted.

The opposition always says all the money went into the pockets of the generals and the people suffered. But look at me. Look at my limousine. It's just an Audi built in China. We save our money. Money for the Buddhas is donated by the people, and the expanding skyline is the result of private-sector efforts. What the government is trying to do is raise the standard of education and health care and improve the ports and roads. This is the groundwork. The beneficiary will be the next government, which will emerge from the new constitution. Why are we doing this? As a military government we are disciplined and united, so we can build now. We are not so sure that will be the case later on, because political parties will emerge, and they will have to listen to their constituents.

TIME: Do you understand that there is great impatience at the length of time you're taking to turn over the power to another government?
Win Aung: The U.N. came here because of the [human rights] resolution. That's why the De Soto mission was here, and of course it has a mandate, and it would like to see things improved. We did not pretend that we have achieved a democracy and everything is perfect. We did not say that. But what we are trying to do is solve the problems in a human way, and as much as possible in a humanitarian way.

The only thing is respect for the law, and that's why the NLD releases a lot of statements every day that are always critical. People think no one can criticize the government here or the government will put them in prison. But that is not so. I said we are solving the problem honestly. Only when they cross the line of the law and only when there was danger of eruption into uncontrolled outbursts which can drag the country down into anarchy, only then did the government have to take those actions.

Another thing I said to [De Soto's group], which they did not know, is that nobody can arrest or detain anyone for more than 24 hours without a warrant. There is a law, and we are very much adhering to that law. If the security people want to [detain someone] they must go to court and obtain a warrant. That is the rule of law.

Another thing I told them is that the grassroots and village levels are the most important levels of government. District levels are more supervisory, but the actual implementers and administrators are the township and village levels. At the township level there are no longer any military people in the government administrative system. There are no more captains and majors there. Now only civil service people chair the committees. They were surprised to learn this. These are new facts.

TIME: What led the government to invite the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to return to Burma to inspect the prisons?
Win Aung: They [the ICRC] like to go anywhere, and we collaborate with them. The minister of home affairs is responsible for that, because the prison department is under his ministry. I just came back [to Burma] last year after so many years abroad. What I see now in prison is that prisoners have blankets and mosquito nets. Those things were not allowed under the British because of the possibility of suicides. I was pleasantly surprised. I am also a human being. I would like to see other human beings enjoy justice. I asked Secretary One, "Why did you allow those things, which are not allowed under the rules?" And he replied, "These prisoners are people. We can change the rules."

The ICRC would like to see prisoners have their medical needs and exercise needs satisfied, and the ICRC is helping us with that. When the ICRC recommends something, we don't just push it aside. Our government listens carefully. What can be amended is amended.

TIME: The opposition says the key test will be whether or not the government will allow repeat visits to the same jails and the same prisoners.
Win Aung: We have not decided about that. But I would say, "Why not?" The impression I got from many people and from Home Ministry reports is that there are many things going on. My own reaction is why not? We don't have anything to hide.

TIME: Allegations have been made that before the government granted access to the ICRC, many prisoners were moved from the jails the ICRC would be authorized to visit to other, unauthorized jails.
Win Aung: We allow them to visit wherever they like, and we show them the place where the guests were allowed to stay--whether or not they are really guests. [He is referring to the elected NLD parliamentarians who were detained in military guesthouses, following the NLD's creation of the Committee Representing the People's Parliament, which the regime regards as a "parallel government."] These people are permitted to go home on weekends.

If they [the NLD] convene a parallel government or announce the formation of this or that, they can create a lot of problems for us. We just wanted to deter such a situation. There is no need to put them in prison. The reality is that we have had to use a lot of money entertaining these people. If some are alcohol drinkers, we even supply them with alcohol. But our guest population is decreasing.

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