Suu Kyi returns from triumphant European tour

June 30, 2012

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Cheering crowds welcomed Aung San Suu Kyi home Saturday from her triumphant tour of Europe, where she won enthusiastic support for her role in Myanmar's democratic transition and was celebrated like a head of state.

Thousands of jubilant supporters packed into Yangon's airport and lined the roads outside waving opposition party flags and holding banners, including one that said: "We are proud of you Mother Suu!" Others were clearly impressed by the honorary doctorate degree she was awarded at Oxford University, shouting: "Long Live Dr. Aung San Suu Kyi!"

The 67-year-old opposition leader smiled and waved as supporters lavished her with floral bouquets and she was escorted into a waiting car, which inched through the crowd on the way to her lakeside villa.

During her two-week trip, Suu Kyi met with political leaders in Switzerland, Norway, Ireland, Britain and France. Supporters said they closely followed Suu Kyi's trip online or in the country's private media, which splashed pictures of Suu Kyi from every stop of the tour across front pages.

"Her Europe trip made this country proud," said 45-year-old supporter Soe Aung, who waited hours for a chance to see her at the airport. "Now, people on the other side of the world know Myanmar." The trip's highlights included Suu Kyi's long-awaited acceptance speech for the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, which she won while under house arrest in Myanmar. The former military regime kept Suu Kyi under house arrest for 15 of 23 years. She was freed in 2010 after the military ceded power to a nominally civilian government.

In Britain, she spoke before a joint session of Parliament, an honor usually reserved for heads of state. Her speech made her the only woman other than Queen Elizabeth II to address the British Parliament.

Throughout her tour, Suu Kyi called on Western countries to help Myanmar build its nascent democracy. She reiterated calls for "cautious optimism" in reforms under way and called for "democracy-friendly, human-rights-friendly investments" so incoming foreign investment helps the impoverished country rather than the wealthy few.

Suu Kyi's trip did not receive any coverage by Myanmar's state-run media, nor has the government of President Thein Sein commented on it. The massive attention Suu Kyi received during a recent trip to Thailand reportedly irked Thein Sein.

Associated Press reporter Yadana Htun contributed to this report.

Myanmar opposition leader registers party to contest polls

Dec 23, 2011

Yangon - Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday registered her National League for Democracy (NLD) party to contest by-elections next year, officially rejoining the political fray.

She also visited parliament and met with Shwe Mann, the lower chamber's speaker.

Suu Kyi, released from her latest, seven-year term of house detention in November 2010, traveled the 350 kilometers from Yangon north to the capital, Naypyitaw, with NLD co-leader Tin Oo to register the party at the Union Election Commission, commission officials said.

The event was part of a softening by Myanmar's government, long a pariah of the West for its poor human rights record, including its 15 years of detention of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate after the NLD won 1990 elections that the then-ruling junta annulled.

Suu Kyi, 66, has vowed to contest by-elections for 48 parliamentary seats expected to be held in March or April.

Should she win a seat, Suu Kyi was expected to become Myanmar's official opposition leader in parliament.

Myanmar was under military rule from 1962 until this year when November 2010 elections, the first in 20 years, brought to power a pro-military government under President Thein Sein, a former general.

Despite his military background, Thein Sein has proved an unexpected catalyst of change in the politically stunted country.

In mid-August, he initiated a political dialogue with Suu Kyi, inviting her to Naypyitaw for private talks. Since then, Thein Sein has paved the way for Suu Kyi to re-enter Myanmar politics.

The NLD was dissolved as a legal entity last year after it refused to contest the general election on the grounds that the junta then ruling the country had issued party registration laws that would have forced them to drop Suu Kyi as a member of the party to participate.

Myanmar's parliament in November amended the party registration regulations, paving the way for the NLD to reregister.

The government also granted an amnesty to more than 200 political prisoners and was expected to free more next month.

Source: Monsters and Critics.
Link: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1682505.php/LEAD-Myanmar-opposition-leader-registers-party-to-contest-polls.

Junta warns of 'covetous' countries, Suu Kyi thanks foreigners

Tue, 04 Jan 2011

Yangon - Myanmar's junta on Tuesday used the independence day anniversary to warn of "covetous" countries bent on controlling the nation while opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi took the occasion to thank her foreign supporters.

"It is not strange (that) certain covetous, aggressive countries are anxious to gain political control over a geographically strategic country like Myanmar," military supremo Senior General Than Shwe said in a speech marking the 63rd anniversary of independence from Britain.

Meanwhile, recently freed democracy icon Suu Kyi used the same occasion to thank her supporters, including "national leaders, political leaders, Nobel peace laureates, United Nations, European Union, international amnesty organizations, people from America and Europe and our nationals from home and abroad."

Suu Kyi, the winner of the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize, was released from a seven and a half years of house detention on November 13, six days after the country held it first general election in two decades.

"Successful victory for democracy is a must," Suu Kyi said in a New Year's message. "Political freedom, economy freedom and social freedom are linked together," she said. "We need to unite together to achieve those freedoms."

Than Shwe, junta chief since 1992, made no mention of political freedoms in his independence anniversary day speech.

Instead he argued that Myanmar, also called Burma, fell to Britain in three wars between 1824 to 1885 "due to a lack of a strong army."

Now Myanmar has a strong army but a weak everything else.

Ranked as South-East Asia's biggest economy in the pre-World-War II era, Myanmar is now on the list of the United Nations' least developed countries.

The country has been under military rule since 1962, when former strongman General Ne Win launched his disastrous "Burmese Way to Socialism."

Mass anti-military protests in 1988 put an end to the socialist system, but failed to install democracy.

The military cracked down on the demonstrators, killing an estimated 3,000 protesters.

It allowed an election in 1990, but then refused to pass over power to the victor - the National League for Democracy party, headed by Suu Kyi. Although the junta staged a new general election on November 7, international observers criticized it for being unfree, unfair and non-inclusive.

The polls were won by the pro-junta Union Solitary and Development Party, which is packed with ex-military men and current government ministers.

Than Shwe said the successful election was "the pride of the nation and the people."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/360614,suu-kyi-thanks-foreigners.html.

Myanmar opposition leader discusses sanctions with US official

Fri, 10 Dec 2010

Yangon - US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Joseph Yun on Friday discussed sanctions with recently released Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

"We talked of many things," Suu Kyi said of the meeting at her lakeside Yangon home, which served as the Nobel Peace Prize laureate's prison for most of the past two decades. "We also discussed about sanctions, but I cannot tell you in detail."

Executive members of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy opposition party also attended the meeting.

Suu Kyi, who was freed from her latest seven years of home detention on November 13, previously had stated that she was willing to review her support of Western economic sanctions on the country's military regime on the condition that only the ones that harm the public are lifted.

Yun, who arrived in Myanmar Tuesday, met with Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win, police chief Khin Yi and officials from the Science and Technology Ministry Thursday at the capital, Naypyitaw.

"We had a good meeting and talked about national reconciliation," NLD executive member Win Tin said. "As he is an Asian, we feel the talks were more friendly."

Yun, deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, was scheduled to depart Friday evening.

He was the highest-ranking US official to visit Myanmar since the ruling junta held the country's first election in two decades on November 7.

US President Barack Obama called the election a sham because Suu Kyi was barred from participating and because of other restrictions intended to ensure military-backed candidates won.

But the US administration has signaled its willingness to engage the ruling junta diplomatically and economically to encourage reforms. Suu Kyi has also said she favors dialogue with the regime and that she does not aspire to political office herself.

US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell visited Myanmar in November 2009 and in May. He met with Suu Kyi, then still under house arrest, during his second visit.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/357489,discusses-sanctions-us-official.html.

Aung San Suu Kyi gives robes to monks, nuns in Buddhist rite

Wed, 08 Dec 2010

Yangon - Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday took part in public religious services for the first time since her release from house arrest.

Suu Kyi offered donations of robes to about 700 Buddhist monks and 200 nuns gathered in front of the headquarters of her National League for Democracy (NLD).

"We (usually) make this activity every Tuesday, but we moved it to Wednesday this week because Daw Suu (Aunt Suu) was not free on Tuesday because she was sending her son off to the airport," an NLD member said.

Suu Kyi's youngest son Kim Aris, 33, returned to Bangkok on Tuesday after a two-week visit to his mother in Yangon.

Aris, who lives in Britain, was allowed to visit his mother for the first time in a decade following her release from house arrest on November 13.

"I saw an old monk dropping tears from his eyes when she offered a robe to him. Then the monk gave back jasmine flowers to her," a witness told German Press Agency dpa after Wednesday's rite.

Suu Kyi, 65, enjoys wide support among the Myanmar population although she has been kept from public view under house arrest for 15 of the past 21 years.

Since her release, she has kept up a busy schedule of meetings with supporters, friends and family.

She spent Monday with Malaysian-born Hollywood actress Michelle Yeoh, who portraying her in a French film, Dans La Lumiere (Into the Light), due for release next year.

On Tuesday, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Joseph Yon met with political party and non-government organization leaders.

He was the first high-ranking US official to visit Myanmar since the country's first elections in two decades on November 7, which the ruling junta won amid accusations of restricting the opposition's participation.

Yon was scheduled to meet with junta's officials in the administrative capital Naypyitaw later Wednesday and was due to meet Suu Kyi on Friday before departing.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/357113,monks-nuns-buddhist-rite.html.

Suu Kyi urges people to be courageous on National Day

Wed, 01 Dec 2010

Yangon - Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi urged people to be courageous on the 90th anniversary of National Day Wednesday.

The December 1 holiday celebrates protests by Rangoon University students in 1920 which started the independence movement.

"We need to be united, to persevere and be courageous," opposition leader Suu Kyi told about 200 supporters who gathered at the National League for Democracy (NLD) party compound in Yangon.

To mark the day, military strongman and leader of the current ruling junta, Senior General Than Shwe, emphasized "sustained efforts to achieve greater development of the nation," the state-run New Light of Myanmar reported Wednesday.

Than Shwe praised the recent "free and fair elections" and urged Burmese people to "keep working with a strong sense of nationalistic spirit."

The November 7 polls where the first in Myanmar in 20 years, but most foreign observers said they were neither free or fair.

Suu Kyi, whose NLD was banned when they boycotted the polls, on Wednesday said national affairs are the concern of all people and not just "one party's agenda."

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was released from house arrest about a week after the election.

Meanwhile, the NLD is seeking a judicial order to reinstate it as a legal political party after losing its status in May when it refused to register for the general election.

The party boycotted the election to protest a law that would have required it to drop Suu Kyi as a member if the NLD were to be put on the ballot.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356026,be-courageous-national-day.html.

UN chief of staff meets Myanmar opposition leader - Summary

Sat, 27 Nov 2010

Yangon - The chief of staff of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met Saturday with Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi who was released from seven years of house arrest two week ago.

Vijay Nambiar arrived Saturday morning in military-ruled Myanmar to assess the post-election political climate on a three-day trip.

He met briefly with Foreign Minister Nyan Win before holding a 90-minute interview with Suu Kyi at her National League for Democracy (NLD) headquarters in Yangon.

"The conversation was very good," Suu Kyi said. "It was a valuable meeting. We heard the views of the UN secretary-general but one meeting is not enough. We need more meetings."

Nambiar, who is also Ban's special envoy on Myanmar affairs, was the first senior UN official to meet with Suu Kyi since her release November 13.

Ban and Western democracies had been demanding the release of Suu Kyi and 2,100 other political prisoners languishing in Myanmar jails for years.

Her release came a week after Myanmar held a general election for the first time in two decades.

The balloting was dominated by the pro-junta Union Solidarity and Development Party, but the military-staged exercise has been widely criticized by Western democracies as a sham.

Observers said they believe Suu Kyi's release was designed to deflect international criticism from the fraudulent electoral process and calm public outrage in Myanmar.

Suu Kyi is hoping the UN will pressure the regime to hold a dialogue with her and other opposition groups before lifting economic sanctions.

Her NLD was excluded from the election by regulations imposed by the military shortly before the vote.

Myanmar has been under military dictatorships since 1962. The previous general election of 1990 was won by the NLD, but its elected lawmakers were blocked from assuming office.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355420,opposition-leader-summary.html.

Myanmar's Suu Kyi wants talks with United Nations - Summary

Thu, 18 Nov 2010

New York - Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Thursday called for an "early visit" by a United Nations envoy and for talks on the challenges facing people in the country, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said.

Ban conferred by telephone with Suu Kyi for the first time since her release from house arrest last week by the ruling military government.

Suu Kyi expressed her "desire to engage with him (UN envoy) for pushing ahead in addressing the challenges facing the people in Myanmar. She also suggested an early meeting with the head of the UN office in Yangon," Ban said in a statement about the conversation.

Ban said he reiterated his and the UN's commitment "to continue to uphold the cause of human rights and support all efforts by the government, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all other stakeholders to build a united, peaceful, democratic and modern future of their country."

The two were said to have held a "warm and cordial conversation" during which Ban expressed his respect for Suu Kyi's "courage and dignity as a source of inspiration for millions of people around the world."

Ban and Suu Kyi said the release of all political prisoners is a matter of priority so they can freely take part in the process of national reconciliation and democratic transition in Myanmar.

The military government won re-election earlier this month, based on a new constitution that barred Suu Kyi from running for public office. Following its victory, the government set her free from house arrest, where she had spent most of the past two decades in confinement.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won the country's 1990 election, but the results were disqualified by the military government. She won the Nobel Peace Prize for demanding democracy in her country.

Ban last visited Myanmar in 2009, and was criticized by human rights groups after he offered positive words about the country's ruling generals, while failing to gain access to meet with Suu Kyi.

The UN General Assembly passed a resolution on the situation in Myanmar on Thursday, condemning the continued violations of human rights and detention of political prisoners.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch said the resolution was an improvement over last year's, but it failed to focus on the "sham" election and release of Suu Kyi.

It said Suu Kyi's release was "cynically designed to divert attention from the continued military rule and the detention of more than 2,200 other political prisoners," said Philippe Bolopion, UN advocacy director for the organization.

"While we applaud this resolution, given the military junta's history of ignoring past demands of the General assembly, we urge the UN system to start working towards the creation of an international commission of inquiry to look into possible crimes against humanity committed in the country," Bolopion said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/354215,united-nations-summary.html.

Suu Kyi defends election boycott

Myanmar's pro-democracy leader tells Al Jazeera people have to stand up for themselves if they want change.

18 Nov 2010

Myanmar's pro-democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi says she has no regrets over her party's decision to boycott the general election held on November 7.

In an interview to Al Jazeera, the 65-year-old Nobel Prize laureate said the decision to withdraw her National League for Democracy (NLD) was the right one, even though some of her supporters believed it was a mistake.

Suu Kyi said that the people of Myanmar have to stand up for themselves if they want to see change in their country.

"The people have to want it, and they have to be united," she said.

In the interview, Suu Kyi was careful not to verbally challenge the current military leadership of Myanmar. However, she was defiant over her seven-year period of house arrest, which she termed "illegal".

She also said the military leadership of Myanmar was not softening its stance.

Al Jazeera's special correspondent, reporting from Yangon, Myanmar's main city, said Suu Kyi's release encouraged her further to fight for democracy, "because her following has grown significantly during her detention".

"A lot of those supporters are younger then when she campaigned for democracy in the past," our correspondent said.

"She believes her party is getting through to the younger generation and she is getting more confident that this is the key to change here [in Myanmar]."

Little choice

International monitors of the elections and some of her local following had criticized Suu Kyi's decision to boycott the national vote because it left people with little choice.

"Boycotting the elections was the only decision to make because they [the NLD] didn't believe in the election rules," our correspondent said.

"Standing up for democracy can be a very dangerous occupation in Myanmar, but she [Suu Kyi] believes the more people do that, the more perhaps the current rulers of this country will start to take notice, and will start to change."

Counting for the November 7 vote has reportedly been finalized, with the main military-backed party scoring a comprehensive victory.

Myanmar's election commission announced on Thursday that the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) of Thein Sein, the current prime minister, won three-quarters of the seats in the national and regional assemblies that were up for grabs.

Source: Al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net//news/asia-pacific/2010/11/20101118101724623904.html.

Suu Kyi seeks to revive political party

Tue Nov 16, 2010

Myanmar's newly-freed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has announced readiness to fight for the revival of her disbanded party.

Her lawyer says Suu Kyi has already filed a lawsuit with the High Court to reverse the dissolution of her National League for Democracy party, which was banned after boycotting the November 7 vote.

Suu Kyi was released on Sunday after seven years under house arrest.

Her house arrest was extended in August 2009 after she sheltered an American in her home.

Several world leaders and international rights groups have hailed the Suu Kyi's release.

Following her release, Suu Kyi told thousands of her supporters that she would work with all democratic forces.

Her party won by a landslide in 1990 but it was never allowed to take power.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner spent most of the past 20 years in detention.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/151251.html.

Suu Kyi's Release Gives Hope To Rohingya Refugees

November 15, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 (Bernama) -- The release of Myanmar pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, from house arrest has given new hope to the Rohingya people to be recognized as citizens of Myanmar and return home after years away as refugees.

Myanmar Ethnic Rohingyas Human Rights Organization Malaysia (MERHROM) president Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani said the Rohingya minority group hoped that Suu Kyi would be able to help them be recognized as Myanmar citizens and to enjoy the same rights and privileges as the other races.

"For years we have been denied our rights as Myanmar people by the ruling military junta, whereby we don't have the same opportunities and rights as others in the country," he told Bernama when contacted on Monday.

Welcoming the release of Suu Kyi, Zafar Ahmad was confident she would be able to fight for the rights of the Rohingyas based on her strong influence and leadership skills.

"Suu Kyi is a leader who fights for her people, and her struggle is not for any one race. So going by that, we are confident that we have chosen the right person to help us," he said.

Aung San Suu Kyi, 65, was released last Saturday after being put under seven years of house arrest by the Myanmar military junta.

The Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic group from the north of Myanmar, started to receive shelter from foreign countries following political and social unrest in their territory of Arakan.

-- BERNAMA

Source: Bernama.
Link: http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=543392.

Freed Myanmar opposition leader Suu Kyi goes back to work

Mon, 15 Nov 2010

Yangon - Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi went back to work Monday at her National League for Democracy (NLD) party after being freed over the weekend from seven years under house arrest.

On Sunday, thousands of supporters massed outside the NLD headquarters in Yangon to hear Suu Kyi's first public speech since her arrest in May 2003, in which she vowed to continue struggling for democracy, reconciliation and human rights.

The 65-year-old Nobel Peace laureate spent 15 of the past 20 years under house arrest.

Her first task will be to make the NLD opposition party a legal entity again, party sources said.

It ceased to exist as a political party in May after refusing to register for the November 7 general election, the first held in more than 20 years.

The NLD won the 1990 polls by a landslide, but was blocked from assuming power by the military.

The party leadership decided to boycott the polls to protest the election laws that would have required it to drop Suu Kyi as a member if the NLD sought to contest the polls.

Registration rules prohibited parties from including members who were serving prison terms. Suu Kyi was freed a week after the polls.

"On Thursday we are going to lodge a case to reinstate the NLD as a legal party," spokesman Nyan Win said.

NLD security guards stopped local journalists from approaching Suu Kyi Monday morning.

Another task Suu Kyi is expected to tackle will be to assess the outcome of the November 7 polls, which many Western critics dismissed as a sham.

The Union Solidarity and Development Party, a junta proxy, won an estimated 80 per cent of the 1,159 contested seats in the three chambers of parliament.

The party has been accused of tampering with advance ballots, and bribing or intimidating voters.

Suu Kyi said she would wait to read a report on the election compiled by the NLD before commenting on the outcome.

Another junta-friendly party, the National Unity Party, won 63 seats. The pro-democracy National Democratic Force, a breakaway from the NLD, won only 16 seats.

Two parties representing ethnic minorities did reasonably well in their states. The Shan Nationalities Democratic Party secured 57 seats, while the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party won 35.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/353547,kyi-goes-back-work.html.

Suu Kyi calls for democracy

Myanmar pro-democracy leader gives first political speech after her release from seven-year house arrest.

14 Nov 2010

Aung San Suu Kyi has called for democracy while addressing her supporters in Myanmar's main city, Yangon, on her first full day of freedom after being released following seven years under house arrest.

The pro-democracy leader appeared before her supporters and media at around noon (05:30 GMT) on Sunday at the headquarters of the National League for Democracy (NDL), to make her first major speech.

Thousands of people greeted as she got out of her car at the offices of her officially disbanded political party on Sunday.

She was also expected to meet diplomats and attend the funeral of a close friend.

"She plans to meet some of the diplomatic staff … from around the world. Some of those people who have been calling for her release for the past seven years," Al Jazeera's correspondent reported from Yangon.

The correspondent, who cannot be named for security reasons, said that there was no sign of an police and military presence around the city ahead of the speech.

In the evening, Aung San Suu Kyi was planning a customary visit to Yangon's Shwedagon pagoda.

She made a brief public appearance on Saturday shortly after her release from house arrest. Witnesses said hundreds of people rushed to her home after the authorities removed barbed-wire barricades in front of her compound.

"We must work together in unison to achieve our goal," Aung San Suu Kyi told her supporters in an appearance at the gate of her compound, as the crowd chanted, cheered and sang the national anthem.

Al Jazeera's special correspondent, reporting from near her home in Yangon, said the crowd let out a huge cheer when the police vehicle left the compound, ending the latest period of arrest.

"It was almost impossible for her to speak," he said, adding that the cheering did not die down for at least 20 or 30 minutes while she stood there.

A smiling Aung San Suu Kyi, wearing a traditional jacket and a flower in her hair, told the crowd that she would stay inside her house that night.

Almost 1,000 people, including journalists, had gathered near her lakeside house throughout the day, many chanting "Release Aung San Suu Kyi" and "Long live Aung San Suu Kyi". Some wore T-shirts emblazoned with messages pledging to stand with her.

The Reuters news agency reported quoting a witness that Suu Kyi met a lawyer and a doctor inside her home shortly before she appeared at the gate.

Source: Al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net//news/asia-pacific/2010/11/2010111444522729971.html.

Amnesty says world should not be 'fooled' by Suu Kyi released

Sat, 13 Nov 2010

Berlin - Human rights watchdog Amnesty International cautiously welcomed Saturday the release of Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, saying that more than 2,200 other political activists remained imprisoned in the country.

"While Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's release is certainly welcome, it ... is by no means a concession on the part of the authorities," Amnesty said in a statement, adding "the world should not be fooled."

"The fact remains that authorities should never have arrested her or the many other prisoners of conscience in Burma in the first place, locking them out of the political process," the statement said, using an alternative name for Myanmar.

Suu Kyi has spent much of the last 20 years under some form of detention.

Last week, the country held its first elections in 20 years, though they were widely regarded as a sham in the West. The 1990 election results, which saw Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy emerge the winner, were ruled invalid by the governing military.

Amnesty urged influential powers, including China and India, to pressure Myanmar into ending its intolerance towards political dissent. The release of the democracy icon "must not make them forget other prisoners of conscience," the rights group said.

Reports of torture and other ill-treatment in Myanmar prisons are rife, according to rights groups, and the International Committee of the Red Cross has been denied access to prisons there since December 2005.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/353378,fooled-suu-kyi-released.html.

Obama hails Suu Kyi as a 'hero' - Summary

Sat, 13 Nov 2010

Washington - US President Barack Obama welcomed the release Saturday of Myanmar's leading democratic activist, Aung San Suu Kyi, and called for all of the country's political prisoners to be freed.

"She is a hero of mine and a source of inspiration for all who work to advance basic human rights in Burma and around the world," Obama said in a statement while traveling in Japan.

He called the release "long overdue."

Myanmar's junta released Suu Kyi from house arrest almost a week after staging a general election widely criticized as a sham by the international community.

The Southeast Asian country is also known as Burma. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, has spent 15 of the past 20 years under house arrest. She was locked up after her National League for Democracy party won the 1990 election.

"Whether Aung San Suu Kyi is living in the prison of her house, or the prison of her country, does not change the fact that she, and the political opposition she represents, has been systematically silenced, incarcerated, and deprived of any opportunity to engage in political processes that could change Burma," Obama said.

"It is time for the Burmese regime to release all political prisoners, not just one," he added. "The United States looks forward to the day when all of Burma's people are free from fear and persecution."

Obama in May extended US sanctions on Myanmar that have been in place for years over the regime's repressive policies and the detentions of Suu Kyi and members of the National League for Democracy. His predecessor, George W Bush, had tightened the sanctions.

Bush's wife, Laura, took up Myanmar as one of her personal causes during her years as first lady. She released a statement Saturday calling Suu Kyi the "democratically elected leader" of Myanmar.

"President Bush and I join with those around the world celebrating her freedom and urge for her release to be without condition," she said.

"Suu Kyi's peaceful protest is an example for the strength of nonviolent opposition," she added. "We fervently hope that the day of a free Burma for all its citizens is soon a reality."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/353394,a-hero-summary.html.

Japan calls Aung San Suu Kyi's release 'a step forward'

Sat, 13 Nov 2010

Yokohama, Japan - Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara welcomed Saturday the release of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Japanese government "views the release as a step forward, as we had been deeply concerned about the fact that the pro-democracy leader in Myanmar had been under house arrest for many years," Maehara said in a statement.

"We expect the government of Myanmar to take further positive measures in the future to realize improvement of the human rights situation, democratization and national reconciliation," he added.

Kei Nemoto, a professor at Sophia University in Tokyo and expert on the modern history of Myanmar, was giving a lecture to some 30 people when the release was reported.

Nemoto said he is concerned that Suu Kyi may be detained again if she expresses doubts over the legitimacy of last week's general election in the country, Kyodo News reported.

"They released her only because her detention period expired," Nemoto was quoted as saying. "We need to closely watch to what extent her political freedom will be approved."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/353390,release-a-step-forward.html.

UN chief hails release of Suu Kyi, calls her 'inspiration'

Sat, 13 Nov 2010

New York - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday praised the release of Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and called for greater freedoms in the Asian country.

"Her dignity and courage in the face of injustice have been an inspiration to many people around the world," including the secretary general himself, a statement from Ban's office said.

It went on to urge Myanmar's ruling military government to ensure that "no further restrictions will be placed on her."

The statement said it was "deeply regrettable" that Suu Kyi was excluded from elections in Myanmar last week. The poll was generally seen as a sham by most Western capitals.

"Democracy and national reconciliation require that all citizens of Myanmar are free to participate as they wish in the political life of their country," Ban said.

Suu Kyi has spent 15 out of the last 20 years under some form of detention or house arrest - ever since her party, the National League for Democracy, won the 1990 elections. The results of that vote were ruled invalid by the military, to much international outcry.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/353386,suu-kyi-calls-inspiration.html.

Switzerland calls for full freedoms for Aung San Suu Kyi

Sat, 13 Nov 2010

Geneva - Switzerland's federal government on Saturday welcomed the release from house arrest of Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and called for all political prisoners in the Asian country to be freed.

"Switzerland now expects her to be granted human and civil rights, including the freedom of expression, association and movement without restriction," a statement from Bern said after Suu Kyi's release.

The Swiss also appealed "for the immediate release of all political prisoners" in Myanmar, noting that there are more than 2,100 such people in the country.

Suu Kyi, who won the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize, has been under some form of detention for 15 of the last 20 years.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/353383,switzerland-calls-for-full-freedoms-for-aung-san-suu-kyi.html.

Merkel relieved at Myanmar's release of Aung San Suu Kyi

Sat, 13 Nov 2010

Berlin - German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced relief at the release Saturday of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.

"Aung San Suu Kyi is a symbol of the worldwide fight to apply human rights," the chancellor said. "Her non-violence and persistence have made her into a much admired example."

Merkel called on the country's junta to free more than 2,000 other political prisoners as well.

Suu Kyi has spent 15 of the past 20 years under house arrest.

Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said her release was "good, long overdue news."

He said she is entitled to a central role in Myanmar's path to national reconciliation and democracy. He noted that Berlin had repeatedly called for her to be freed.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/353371,aung-san-suu-kyi.html.

World leaders welcome release of Aung San Suu Kyi

Sat, 13 Nov 2010

World leaders welcomed Saturday the release of Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, even as they noted that more than 2,000 political prisoners remain in the country's jails.

The leaders also heaped accolades on Suu Kyi, who has faced severe restrictions by the ruling military government for 15 of the last 20 years, for her role in supporting democracy.

Former South African archbishop Desmond Tutu deemed Suu Kyi, 65, a "global symbol of moral courage." United States President Barack Obama said she was a "hero" and along with United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon called the Myanmar opposition leader an "inspiration."

The US president charged that the Asian country's opposition has been "systematically silenced, incarcerated, and deprived of any opportunity to engage in political processes."

Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, was released to massive cheers from her supporters, who flooded the streets outside her home in the capital Yangon.

European leaders, including European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, were also quick to hail the release and urge greater freedoms in Myanmar.

The country last week held elections for the first time in 20 years, but the results were considered a sham in the West.

"Her detention was a travesty, designed only to silence the voice of the Burmese people," British Prime Minister David Cameron said, calling Suu Kyi "an inspiration for all of us who believe in freedom of speech, democracy and human rights."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Suu Kyi's "non-violence and persistence have made her into a much admired example." Like neighboring Switzerland, Berlin called for the other political prisoners to also be released.

"The fact remains that authorities should never have arrested her or the many other prisoners of conscience in Burma in the first place," Amnesty International said in a statement, noting that rights abuses are rife in Burmese jails.

In Asia, Thailand and Japan were quick to welcome the release.

"Her release marks another important step in the national reconciliation and democratization process in Myanmar," the Thai Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said Myanmar should "take further positive measures in the future to realize improvement of the human rights situation, democratization and national reconciliation."

Referring to Myanmar's myriad problems, including deep poverty and a recent revival of violence along its border with Thailand, former US president Jimmy Carter bemoaned the plight of its population.

"It is sad to see a country of such great natural wealth that is so fractured and unable to properly protect and care for its people in a way that allows all of them to prosper," he said.

Suu Kyi has faced constant pressure from the ruling military junta ever since her party, the National League for Democracy, won the 1990 elections.

The results of that vote were ruled invalid by the military, to much international outcry.

"It is important that her release is unconditional, and that this is honored in practice," said Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/353398,aung-san-suu-kyi.html.