WASHINGTON, clan 2 Kyodo The Uni...

WASHINGTON, clan 2 Kyodo

The United States is confident of the veracity of its information that Aung San Suu Kyi, the detained pro-democracy leader in Myanmar, is in succession hunger strike, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Tuesday.

''We have what we consider credible reporting from our embassy, unless I'm not in a position to advance through the sourcing of that,'' Boucher told a regular pres briefing.

''We do remain profoundly concerned about her situation,'' he said.

In a statement issued Sunday, the State Department said Suu Kyi ''is in succession a hunger strike to affirm her illegal detention by that country's military regime.''

The Myanmar junta has detained Suu Kyi since what it says were violent clashes between her National League for Democracy (NLD) supporters and pro-junta demonstrators May 30 in northern Myanmar

The junta onward Monday denied the U.S. claim that Suu Kyi is upon hunger strike, saying it is ''quite odd'' for the U State Department to make of that kind a claim without stating any source to verify its allegation.''

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo of recent origins International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group