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| Myanmar junta says Suu Kyi "physically well," US challenges for proof
YANGON, Sept 4 (AFP) - Myanmar's military government said Thursday that Aung San Suu Kyi was "physically well" and charged that US claims that the opposition leader was on a hunger strike were the result of "spin doctors". The junta's statement, originally made from the Myanmar embassy in London and reissued from Yangon, was the latest of several fierce denials since Washington made a shock announcement Sunday that the Nobel peace laureate was refusing food. Adaptive intelligence for a serious advantage: business, investment and technology- BizVantage! "The sudden but well-concerted appearance of a manufactured piece of news relating to Aung San Suu Kyi's hunger strike is another glaring example of spin doctors at work once again," the statement said. "The Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already expressed this suspicion in its statement dismissing the US assertion -- which may, in fact, have been completely fabricated for political purposes. "The truth of the matter being that the lady in question is physically well and living in the conditions that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) described a month ago as 'highly satisfactory'." Red Cross representatives met with Suu Kyi on July 28 and are the last independent observers to have verified her health. Despite the junta's denials, Washington has repeated its assertions and on Thursday challenged Myanmar to disprove its claim by releasing Suu Kyi from detention. "The junta in Burma can easily and unambiguously resolve all these concerns and reports, and resolve any questions by releasing her and, for that fact, allowing international access," said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. Analysts have expressed scepticism that the pro-democracy icon has gone on a hunger strike, saying it could be a US tactic to increase international pressure on the junta. But Boucher insisted Thursday that the US information was reliable. "We had credible information about Aung San Suu Kyi being on a hunger strike," he said, but refused to divulge the source the claim. "We had credible information that we believe that she was on a hunger strike." Asked whether she was still fasting, Boucher answered: "I don't think I'm able to answer that question." Earlier this week, Myanmar's new prime minister General Khin Nyunt delivered his seven-point plan for the country's shift towards democracy. The Nobel laureate was detained following violence between her supporters and a junta-backed mob as she made a political tour of the country's north. bur-lg/mkh Myanmar-US-SuuKyi-denial
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