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In this photo released by Democratic Voice of Burma, members of the Myanmar opposition
National League for Democracy party hold a portrait of party's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi,
during a protest in Yangon, Myanmar Tuesday, May 27, 2008 (AP).
National League for Democracy party hold a portrait of party's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi,
during a protest in Yangon, Myanmar Tuesday, May 27, 2008 (AP).
Myanmar Draws Further Criticism by Extending Suu Kyi Detainment
May 27, 2008 03:22 PM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
The country’s military junta announced Tuesday that it is continuing the house arrest of opposition leader and Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
30-Second Summary
A government official read out the six-month extension order at Suu Kyi’s home, reported Reuters. The extension appears to violate a Myanmar law that prohibits anyone from being detained longer than five years without being tried.
Suu Kyi’s previous detention order expired over the weekend. She has been under house arrest for 13 of the past 18 years.
The move earned the ruling junta a new wave of international condemnation just weeks after its hesitance to distribute foreign aid to survivors of the recent cyclone drew criticism from around the world.
But Myanmar’s rulers are not the only ones getting lambasted for Suu Kyi’s extended detention; activists criticized the international community for failing to put enough pressure on the junta on her behalf.
“It is shameful that [U.N. Secretary General] Ban Ki-Moon went to Burma and failed even to utter her name,” said Mark Farmaner, director of the Burma Campaign UK.
Suu Kyi supporters had been hoping that the junta would ease the conditions of her arrest or even agree to a release in response to international pressure following the cyclone and the offering of foreign aid.
With the renewal of Suu Kyi’s detention, it is clear that the junta has no plans to loosening its reins on the nation.
On Tuesday, 20 youth members of the opposition National League for Democracy party who were protesting Suu Kyi’s plight were arrested by police.
Suu Kyi’s previous detention order expired over the weekend. She has been under house arrest for 13 of the past 18 years.
The move earned the ruling junta a new wave of international condemnation just weeks after its hesitance to distribute foreign aid to survivors of the recent cyclone drew criticism from around the world.
But Myanmar’s rulers are not the only ones getting lambasted for Suu Kyi’s extended detention; activists criticized the international community for failing to put enough pressure on the junta on her behalf.
“It is shameful that [U.N. Secretary General] Ban Ki-Moon went to Burma and failed even to utter her name,” said Mark Farmaner, director of the Burma Campaign UK.
Suu Kyi supporters had been hoping that the junta would ease the conditions of her arrest or even agree to a release in response to international pressure following the cyclone and the offering of foreign aid.
With the renewal of Suu Kyi’s detention, it is clear that the junta has no plans to loosening its reins on the nation.
On Tuesday, 20 youth members of the opposition National League for Democracy party who were protesting Suu Kyi’s plight were arrested by police.
Headline Link: Myanmar extends Suu Kyi house arrest
Reuters reports that the announcement of Suu Kyi’s continuing arrest would likely displease donor nations who have pledged millions of dollars to Myanmar for cyclone relief efforts. Although the military junta has slowly opened up the nation to foreign aid workers, it has shown little sign of relaxing its grip on the country.
Source: Reuters
Key Player: Aung San Suu Kyi
Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, “for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights” in Myanmar, the same year that the European Parliament awarded her the Sakharov human rights prize. The official Web site of the Nobel foundation provides a timeline of Suu Kyi’s life and a transcript of the acceptance speech made by her son, Alexander Aris.
Source: Nobelprize.org
Background: Hope for release
Before a weekend conference of aid donors, a source from the U.K.’s Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander, said that the issue of Suu Kyi’s detention would not be raised. “It would be inappropriate when the utmost importance is ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid,” he said.
Source: The Guardian
Related Topics: Suu Kyi supporters seized, Aid agencies enter Myanmar
Myanmar police on Tuesday surrounded about a dozen supporters of Suu Kyi who were marching from the opposition party’s headquarters to her home. The incident occured hours before the deadline to extend Suu Kyi’s detention. Although the renewal of her detention has become routine, her supporters continue to protest every year.
Source: International Herald Tribune
Reference: Focus on Myanmar
The cyclone in Myanmar has focused the world’s attention on the tiny Asian nation mired in political oppression. A military junta has ruled the country, which is bordered by Bangladesh, Laos and Thailand, since a military coup in 1962.
Source: findingDulcinea
© 2009 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
