Suu Kyi’s Lawyer Appeals to PM over House Arrest
By WAI MOE
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 ,


A lawyer representing Burma’s pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has asked Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein to hold a hearing on his client’s appeal against her continued house arrest.

Lawyer Kyi Win told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that he sent a letter to the prime minister on March 13 through his assistant in Naypyidaw.

Demonstrators are reflected on a portrait of detained Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi during a rally outside the Burmese embassy in Manila in 2008. (Photo: AFP)“Her appeal has not been heard,” he said. “So we have sent a request to the authorities to act on the appeal. We can’t say for sure what will happen next. We can only do what we can.”

Suu Kyi has been detained since May 2003 after her convoy was ambushed by thugs in Depayin in Upper Burma. She was placed under house arrest under State Protection Act 10/B. Her current term of house arrest is due to expire on May 24.

Among the diplomatic community in Bangkok and Rangoon, the expectations for Suu Kyi’s release have risen recently. Some diplomats have said they expect Suu Kyi to be released within the next two months, perhaps when United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visits Burma in April.

A UN official told Inter-City Press on Monday that Ban is actively seeking to visit Burma after the “Asean + 6” meeting on April 10-12, which will be held in Pattaya in Thailand.

However, the London-based think tank, Economist Intelligence Unit, said in its March report on Burma that there is little prospect that Suu Kyi will released from house arrest ahead of the 2010 election.

Other observers have said that Snr-Gen Than Shwe, head of the military junta, would only release the Nobel Peace Prize winner if he was forced to play the “Suu Kyi Card” in either internal or external political games.

Thein Sein is currently in Singapore on a two-country trip to the region. He left Indonesia earlier on Tuesday where he met with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Indonesian media reported that during the meeting, Thein Sein and Yudhoyono talked about Burma’s democratic process and Rohingya boatpeople.

Yudhoyono reportedly suggested a “practical solution” to the Rohingya issue, as well as “fair” and “inclusive” elections in 2010. However, he apparently did not raise the issue of Burmese political prisoners with Thein Sein.

According to Indonesian Presidential Spokesman Dino Patti Djalal, the Burmese premier responded that Burma will accept Rohingyas as long as they can prove they are from Burma. The two leaders also discussed and agreed on strengthened bilateral relations and to boost cooperation in several fields, including military, economy and tourism. Regarding military relations, the two countries have initiated military student exchange programs and plan to conduct a joint defense seminar.


Source: http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=15319