MONYWA, Myanmar: Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
on Friday met police behind a crackdown on a Chinese mine protest and was due
to hear villagers' grievances in a bid to mediate an end to the dispute.
But in a sign of the challenge
confronting the Nobel Peace laureate, China's embassy in Yangon insisted that the
issues of relocation, compensation and environmental safeguards had already
been "settled".
Dozens of protesters, including
monks, were injured when riot police moved in to end the rally at the Monywa
mine in northern Myanmar early Thursday, hours before Suu Kyi was due to visit.
Some suffered severe burns.
It was the toughest crackdown on
protesters since a new reform-minded government took power last year, replacing
decades of outright military rule.
With anger mounting over the
pre-dawn raid, Suu Kyi met officials from the operator of the Chinese-backed
copper mine on Thursday, and later visited injured monks in hospital.
On Friday she held talks with
police and was later due to meet local residents opposed to the mine, her
spokesman Ohn Kyaing said.
In a speech on Thursday in the
area, Suu Kyi said she was ready to help find a "peaceful" end to the
standoff between authorities and protesters, who allege mass evictions have
taken place to make way for the mine.
"After getting both points
of view, I want to negotiate my best," she said.
"I can't guarantee whether I
will succeed or not. But I believe I will... if the people will hold my hand in
finding the solution."
Monks, villagers and student
activists are calling for work at the mine -- a joint venture between Chinese
firm Wanbao and military-owned Myanmar Economic Holdings -- to be suspended to
allow environmental and social impact studies.
But the Chinese embassy said the
contentious points had already been resolved.
"Issues such as relocation,
compensation, environmental protection and profit sharing... were jointly
settled through negotiations by the two sides and meet Myanmar's laws and
regulations," it said in a statement.
Activists said about 100 people
were injured in the crackdown.
Several monks were in a
"critical condition", according to pro-democracy campaigner Myo Thant
of the 88 Generation Students group.
It was unclear exactly what
caused the burns but President Thein Sein's office denied local media
allegations that some kind of chemical weapon was used.
In a statement Thursday it said
that water cannon, tear gas and smoke bombs were deployed against the
protesters, but later retracted the statement without giving a reason.
- AFP/ir
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