Scorn poured on Myanmar over Suu Kyi detention

Washington, May 26: Myanmar's military junta provoked international outrage today by extending the house arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi for another year.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Tom Casey said Suu Kyi ''should have been released a long time ago, along with all the other political prisoners'' held by the generals ruling the former Burma.

''It's unfortunate, it's condemnable and certainly we want to see her out as soon as possible,'' Casey said.

Despite appeals by the White House, the United Nations, the European Union and fellow Nobel winners, the junta's move to keep Suu Kyi, 61, under house arrest at her lakeside home in Yangon, was widely expected.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's office said he ''deeply regrets'' the decision but ''is determined to continue working towards tangible progress in Myanmar.'' ''He strongly believes that the sooner restrictions on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political figures are lifted, the sooner Myanmar will be able to move towards inclusive national reconciliation, the restoration of democracy and full respect for human rights,'' the office said in a statement.

Suu Kyi, the daughter of independence hero Aung San, has been in detention for more than 11 of the last 17 years and many of her supporters have been jailed. Her telephone line is cut and visitors are restricted to her maid and doctor.

''The regime is obviously more afraid of Aung San Suu Kyi's popularity than international opinion,'' said Debbie Stothard, a member of the activist Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma.

''If they had released Suu Kyi, it would have been a hasty end for the regime. There is increasing resentment over its mismanagement of the economy.'' The current European Union president, Germany, said it ''deeply condemns'' the move by Myanmar's rulers.

''The government's decision demonstrates persistent unwillingness to engage all political and ethnic forces of the country in a genuine dialogue with a view to bringing about true national reconciliation and the establishment of democracy,'' it said in a statement.

France issued a separate statement of condemnation.

Sanctions imposed by the West have had little effect on Myanmar's military rulers. Neither has the soft diplomacy of its partners in the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations, despite the bloc's increasing frustration.

Mark Farmaner, acting director of the Burma Campaign UK, said the UN Security Council's failure to pass a resolution on Myanmar this year had only encouraged the junta's defiance.

''They are having a good year,'' he said. ''The international community is all huff and no puff, so it is ignored.''

Reuters

Related Stories