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U.S. 'concerned' on Suu Kyi's fate
(CNN) -- The United States has added its voice to a chorus of international concern over the continued detention of Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
It expressed "deep concern" over a reported move by the Southeast Asian country's military rulers to extend her house arrest for another year.
A White House statement Thursday says that if the reports are true, "this represents a return to a pattern of unacceptable backtracking on commitments the regime itself has made to move toward democracy, and national reconciliation.
"Once again, the United States calls on the regime to release Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners immediately and unconditionally, and to begin taking other meaningful steps toward national reconciliation, democracy, and improved human rights."
Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was taken into custody in May last year after her motorcade was attacked by a pro-government mob.
She had been free for just one year, following her release from a 19-month period of house detention in May 2002.
Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra called for Aung San Suu Kyi's release when he met his Myanmar counterpart Soe Win on the sidelines of this week's ASEAN summit in the Laotian capital, Vientiane.
The U.S. statement Thursday said it had hoped recent prisoner releases were a sign the regime was "beginning to move in the right direction".
One of Myanmar's most prominent political prisoners, Min Ko Naing, a student democracy leader, was freed late last month after nearly 16 years in jail.
Min Ko Naing was the leader of the 1988 student democracy protests put down ruthlessly by the country's military rulers.
He said was in good health but somewhat bemused by his sudden and unexpected release, according to a Reuters report.
"I feel as if I have awoken from dreamland and I've just started to open my eyes," he told Reuters in a brief interview.
Myanmar's military junta also released at least 19 political prisoners on November 19 as part of a group of nearly 4,000 prisoners it said were wrongly charged by an intelligence agency.
The prisoners included at least three senior members of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party and 72-year-old journalist Tin Win, said Bo Kyi, a Myanmar dissident who runs an aid group for political prisoners in neighboring Thailand.
Tin Win had been in custody for 14 years.
An NLD official said on condition of anonymity that at least seven party members were released from Yangon's Insein prison Friday.
A witness outside the prison, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a total of about 200 prisoners were freed Friday, most of whom were serving short terms for criminal offenses.
State-run radio and television announced late Thursday that 3,937 prisoners had been wrongly charged by the former National Intelligence Bureau, an umbrella organization of internal security organizations that was dissolved by the junta last month.
The bureau had been headed by former Prime Minister Gen. Khin Nyunt, who was ousted October 19. He has since been accused of corruption and insubordination.
Khin Nyunt's removal was believed to have been orchestrated by hard line members of the junta opposed to his relative moderation in dealing with the country's pro-democracy movement, led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
Aung San Suu Kyi's party won a 1990 general election, but the military refused to accept the results of the vote.
Myanmar, previously known as Burma, has a population of about 48 million people and shares borders with Thailand, China, Laos, Bangladesh and India.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapc...kyi/index.html
(CNN) -- The United States has added its voice to a chorus of international concern over the continued detention of Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
It expressed "deep concern" over a reported move by the Southeast Asian country's military rulers to extend her house arrest for another year.
A White House statement Thursday says that if the reports are true, "this represents a return to a pattern of unacceptable backtracking on commitments the regime itself has made to move toward democracy, and national reconciliation.
"Once again, the United States calls on the regime to release Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners immediately and unconditionally, and to begin taking other meaningful steps toward national reconciliation, democracy, and improved human rights."
Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was taken into custody in May last year after her motorcade was attacked by a pro-government mob.
She had been free for just one year, following her release from a 19-month period of house detention in May 2002.
Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra called for Aung San Suu Kyi's release when he met his Myanmar counterpart Soe Win on the sidelines of this week's ASEAN summit in the Laotian capital, Vientiane.
The U.S. statement Thursday said it had hoped recent prisoner releases were a sign the regime was "beginning to move in the right direction".
One of Myanmar's most prominent political prisoners, Min Ko Naing, a student democracy leader, was freed late last month after nearly 16 years in jail.
Min Ko Naing was the leader of the 1988 student democracy protests put down ruthlessly by the country's military rulers.
He said was in good health but somewhat bemused by his sudden and unexpected release, according to a Reuters report.
"I feel as if I have awoken from dreamland and I've just started to open my eyes," he told Reuters in a brief interview.
Myanmar's military junta also released at least 19 political prisoners on November 19 as part of a group of nearly 4,000 prisoners it said were wrongly charged by an intelligence agency.
The prisoners included at least three senior members of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party and 72-year-old journalist Tin Win, said Bo Kyi, a Myanmar dissident who runs an aid group for political prisoners in neighboring Thailand.
Tin Win had been in custody for 14 years.
An NLD official said on condition of anonymity that at least seven party members were released from Yangon's Insein prison Friday.
A witness outside the prison, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a total of about 200 prisoners were freed Friday, most of whom were serving short terms for criminal offenses.
State-run radio and television announced late Thursday that 3,937 prisoners had been wrongly charged by the former National Intelligence Bureau, an umbrella organization of internal security organizations that was dissolved by the junta last month.
The bureau had been headed by former Prime Minister Gen. Khin Nyunt, who was ousted October 19. He has since been accused of corruption and insubordination.
Khin Nyunt's removal was believed to have been orchestrated by hard line members of the junta opposed to his relative moderation in dealing with the country's pro-democracy movement, led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
Aung San Suu Kyi's party won a 1990 general election, but the military refused to accept the results of the vote.
Myanmar, previously known as Burma, has a population of about 48 million people and shares borders with Thailand, China, Laos, Bangladesh and India.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapc...kyi/index.html