Burmese people around the globe, either still in their homeland or forced into exile are feeling deep revulsion regarding the 18 month house arrest imposed upon their talismanic pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The Nobel laureate and recent recipient of Amnesty International’s most prestigious honour – the “Ambassador of Conscience” - was handed the court extention to her house arrest having been accused of harbouring US national John Yettaw at her home after he gained access to her compound uninvited. Incidentally, Mr Yettaw was sentenced to seven years imprisonment and which is set to include 4 years hard labour.
World revulsion at the ‘sham’ verdict centres on the fact that it a cynical and deliberate attempt to remove Sui Kyi from Burma’s political arena especially with national elections looming in 2010. Daw Suu (Daw = “auntie” in Burmese) as she is affectionately known in Burma is the leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) embodies her nations desire for self-determination and her selfless work for to promote ‘people power’ in the region has meant she is held in the same global esteem as the late Cory Aquino.
Her pro-democracy party emphatically won the 1990 Burmese national election but their ‘people power’ victory was unrecognised by the ruling military junta. The current Burmese dictatorship swept to power in 1962 leaving death, destruction and misery in their wake as they sought to rule the region with an iron clad fist.
Universal condemnation has come from every democratic corner of the globe except for a few notable exceptions. Due to world economic sanctions the Burmese military junta are heavily reliant on two of the world’s major trading partners trading powers - India and China. Both these countries along with Thailand have remained characteristically tight lipped regarding the pastiche sentencing of Sui Kyi.
World denunciation of the ‘sham’ verdict came from;
- US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton; "The Burmese junta should immediately end its repression of so many in this country"
- The UN special envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari; "absolutely indispensable to the resumption of a political process that can lead to national reconciliation".
- US President Barack Obama; "immediate unconditional release", describing the extension of house arrest as unjust.
- European Union spokesperson, Ton van Lierop; "Keeping Aung San Suu Kyi under arrest under fabricated reasons violates her fundamental freedoms, and does not serve the proclaimed national interest either"
- UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown was; "saddened and angry" at the sentence meted out at the "sham" trial. He decribed it as a "purely political sentence".
- Nicolas Sarkozy has called for the European Union to issue new sanctions against Burma’s military junta.
Please Tweet/Retweet and Share This Article......
About The Author
Share This
Subscribe Here
0 comments:
Post a Comment