World outrage at Burma's Suu Kyi detention
Pastor Dale Morgan
World outrage at Burma's Suu Kyi detention*
From correspondents in Washington
May 28, 2008 04:03am
Article from: Agence France-Presse
US President George W. Bush has led global outrage at the Burmese ruling
junta's decision to keep democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi under house
arrest for another year.
"I am deeply troubled by the Burmese regime's extension of National
League for Democracy (NLD) General Secretary and Nobel Peace Prize
winner Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest," President Bush said in a statement.
In common with former colonial power Britain, the United States calls
the south-east Asian country Burma.
President Bush said he and wife Laura, who has taken a leading role in
Washington on criticising the junta, "look forward to the day when the
people of Burma know true liberty and democracy".
Strong reaction also came from the European Union and Britain.
Singapore, current chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN), which includes Burma, expressed disappointment.
Burmese officials went to the lakeside Yangon home that has been Aung
San Suu Kyi's prison for most of the last 18 years and delivered the
news of her prolonged detention during a 10-minute meeting, a state
official said.
"Her detention was extended by one year," the official said.
The United States called upon the regime to release all political
prisoners in Burma and begin a "genuine dialogue" with Aung San Suu Kyi,
the National League for Democracy, and other democratic and ethnic
minority groups on a transition to democracy.
However, President Bush stressed Washington would "continue to help the
people of Burma recover from the devastation of Cyclone Nargis"
alongside its "support for the Burmese people's long-term struggle for
freedom"
The storm has left 133,000 dead or missing and many of the 2.4 million
survivors remain in dire need of food, shelter and medication -
exacerbated by Burma's obstinacy over international aid - according to
the United Nations and relief agencies.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi's most recent period in
detention began on May 30, 2003, when her convoy was ambushed while she
toured upcountry.
The junta says four people were killed in that attack, but the party
puts the toll at nearly 100, and Bush in his statement referred to "the
murderous assault by regime-sponsored thugs on her motorcade".
After the ambush, Aung San Suu Kyi was initially confined at the
notorious Insein prison, but was allowed to return to her home in
September 2003.
The European Union's special envoy for Myanmar, Piero Fassino said the
decision is "all the more unacceptable in that it even violates the
maximum duration of five years under Myanmar (Burmese) laws for house
arrest".
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband admitted he was ``not
surprised'' to learn of the development.
He said Aung San Suu Kyi - educated in Britain - was among some 2000
political prisoners who had "lost (their) freedom for simply expressing
a desire to bring democracy to Burma".
"She has now spent more than 12 of the last 18 years in detention. That
she will spend her 63rd birthday next month in total isolation is an
indictment of the regime," he said.