Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has said she expects more meetings to take place between her and the government liaison minister to discuss the lifting of sanctions, her lawyer said.
Suu Kyi met with her lawyers on Friday at the end of a fortnight in which she held two separate meetings with junta liaison minister Aung Kyi and Western diplomats.
It was the second time in a month that Suu Kyi has met with Aung Kyi. The initial meeting between the two on 3 October was the first time that Aung Kyi, who was assigned as interlocutor between her and the government, met with the detained opposition leader since January 2008.
Friday’s meeting was primarily to discuss her pending court appeal, although lawyer Nyan Win said that Suu Kyi expected to meet with Aung Kyi again, as well as a possible meeting with senior members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party.
Specific details of the NLD leader’s meeting with Aung Kyi have been kept quiet, although it is believed to be linked to a letter sent by Suu Kyi to junta chief Than Shwe urging for dialogue between the two over the lifting of international sanctions on Burma.
Nyan Win told DVB that the two discussed “the impact of the sanctions, and how to go about carrying out the tasks that were mentioned in the letter”.
Suu Kyi has also agreed to allow lawyers to present an appeal over her house arrest to Burma’s Supreme Court after it was rejected earlier this month by a Rangoon prison court.
A draft appeal is currently being prepared, according to Nyan Win who expects it to be filed within the next seven to ten days after receiving approval from Suu Kyi.
Suu Kyi was sentenced in August to 18 months under house arrest following the visit of US citizen John Yettaw to her lakeside compound in May.
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
US deputy secretary of state to visit Burma
Burmese opposition party members who met with United States embassy staff yesterday were told that Washington will soon send its deputy secretary of state to the country, a party spokesperson said.
It would mark the most high profile visit of a US politician to Burma in over a decade, and comes shortly after the Obama administration announced it would begin direct engagement with the military regime.
The head of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party’s information wing, Khin Maung Swe, said that three US diplomats led by embassy chargé d'affaires, Larry Dinger, met with NLD members at the party headquarters in Rangoon yesterday.
“It seemed like they came for a fact-finding mission before the [deputy] secretary’s visit,” said Khin Maung Swe. “They said they will also meet with other groups, just not only the NLD, so it’s quite likely that they are fact-finding.”
The last senior US politician to visit Burma was Senator Jim Webb, who arrived in the country in August and secured the release of imprisoned US citizen John Yettaw.
His visit was widely seen as a first step in the decision by the US to open up dialogue with the junta after years of isolation.
Accompanying the embassy staff was an official from the US government’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, he said.
It is the first time that diplomats from the US have visited the party’s headquarters since the policy change was announced in September.
Khin Maung Swe said that NLD members were asked questions similar to those put forward by the 20 diplomats from European Union countries who visited the headquarters last week.
“They asked about our plan for the 2010 elections and our opinion on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s activity regarding the sanctions,” he said.
The detained opposition leader last month sent a letter to junta chief Than Shwe urging for dialogue between the two regarding the lifting of sanctions.
This was followed by two meetings between Suu Kyi and the Burmese junta’s liaison officer, Aung Kyi, reportedly to discuss the content of the letter. Suu Kyi also held a rare meeting with three Western diplomats on 9 October, also to discuss sanctions.
It appears to signal a shift in attitude by the government, which normally places tight restrictions on contact between Suu Kyi and foreign envoys.
It would mark the most high profile visit of a US politician to Burma in over a decade, and comes shortly after the Obama administration announced it would begin direct engagement with the military regime.
The head of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party’s information wing, Khin Maung Swe, said that three US diplomats led by embassy chargé d'affaires, Larry Dinger, met with NLD members at the party headquarters in Rangoon yesterday.
“It seemed like they came for a fact-finding mission before the [deputy] secretary’s visit,” said Khin Maung Swe. “They said they will also meet with other groups, just not only the NLD, so it’s quite likely that they are fact-finding.”
The last senior US politician to visit Burma was Senator Jim Webb, who arrived in the country in August and secured the release of imprisoned US citizen John Yettaw.
His visit was widely seen as a first step in the decision by the US to open up dialogue with the junta after years of isolation.
Accompanying the embassy staff was an official from the US government’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, he said.
It is the first time that diplomats from the US have visited the party’s headquarters since the policy change was announced in September.
Khin Maung Swe said that NLD members were asked questions similar to those put forward by the 20 diplomats from European Union countries who visited the headquarters last week.
“They asked about our plan for the 2010 elections and our opinion on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s activity regarding the sanctions,” he said.
The detained opposition leader last month sent a letter to junta chief Than Shwe urging for dialogue between the two regarding the lifting of sanctions.
This was followed by two meetings between Suu Kyi and the Burmese junta’s liaison officer, Aung Kyi, reportedly to discuss the content of the letter. Suu Kyi also held a rare meeting with three Western diplomats on 9 October, also to discuss sanctions.
It appears to signal a shift in attitude by the government, which normally places tight restrictions on contact between Suu Kyi and foreign envoys.
Wednesday, 12 August 2009
China calls on West to 'respect' new detention of Aung San Suu Kyi
China urged the international community to respect the extended house arrest imposed on the Burmese democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, which has provoked fury from western governments, promises of new sanctions and growing demands for an arms embargo on Burma’s junta.
“International society should fully respect Myanmar's judicial sovereignty,” the Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu Jiang said the day after Ms Suu Kyi was sent back to house arrest for another 18 months for receiving an eccentric American visitor who swam, uninvited, to the lakeside home where she was detained.
“As a neighbour of Myanmar's, China hopes all sides in Myanmar can push ethnic reconciliation through talks, and gradually realise stability, democracy and development,” Ms Jiang added. “This not only accords with Myanmar's interests, it is also beneficial to regional stability.”
The statement makes it almost unthinkable that the matter of Ms Suu Kyi’s extended detention will provoke action from the UN Security Council, where China has a veto. No other country has more power and influence over Burma than China, and yesterday’s position will frustrate foreign governments and lobbying groups demanding democratic reform from the dictatorship. Ms Suu Kyi spent the first day under her new sentence of house arrest yesterday without access to her lawyers, who were not permitted to see her to discuss the appeal which they are planning against the sentence. The Australian Government added its voice to proposals for a global arms embargo against Burma, also supported by Gordon Brown, but without the active support of China, or at least a number of Burma’s neighbours, such efforts are certain to founder.
Two-way trade between China and Burma amounted to $2.6 billion (£1.6bn) last year, with much of its oil, natural gas, and precious metals imported by China, and cheap manufactured goods flowing into Burma.
Beijing is reluctant to jeopardise this useful trade, but Burma also represents a strategic zone of influence with its proximity to China’s regional rival, India, and access to the waters of the Indian Ocean. As a one-party state which locks up those who challenge its rule, China is reluctant to reproach any state on human rights grounds.
“We maintain that all countries, big and small, strong and weak, rich and poor, are equal, and we respect the right of people of all countries to independently choose their own development path,” China’s foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, said yesterday after receiving an honorary degree from the Geneva School of Diplomacy.
“International society should fully respect Myanmar's judicial sovereignty,” the Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu Jiang said the day after Ms Suu Kyi was sent back to house arrest for another 18 months for receiving an eccentric American visitor who swam, uninvited, to the lakeside home where she was detained.
“As a neighbour of Myanmar's, China hopes all sides in Myanmar can push ethnic reconciliation through talks, and gradually realise stability, democracy and development,” Ms Jiang added. “This not only accords with Myanmar's interests, it is also beneficial to regional stability.”
The statement makes it almost unthinkable that the matter of Ms Suu Kyi’s extended detention will provoke action from the UN Security Council, where China has a veto. No other country has more power and influence over Burma than China, and yesterday’s position will frustrate foreign governments and lobbying groups demanding democratic reform from the dictatorship. Ms Suu Kyi spent the first day under her new sentence of house arrest yesterday without access to her lawyers, who were not permitted to see her to discuss the appeal which they are planning against the sentence. The Australian Government added its voice to proposals for a global arms embargo against Burma, also supported by Gordon Brown, but without the active support of China, or at least a number of Burma’s neighbours, such efforts are certain to founder.
Two-way trade between China and Burma amounted to $2.6 billion (£1.6bn) last year, with much of its oil, natural gas, and precious metals imported by China, and cheap manufactured goods flowing into Burma.
Beijing is reluctant to jeopardise this useful trade, but Burma also represents a strategic zone of influence with its proximity to China’s regional rival, India, and access to the waters of the Indian Ocean. As a one-party state which locks up those who challenge its rule, China is reluctant to reproach any state on human rights grounds.
“We maintain that all countries, big and small, strong and weak, rich and poor, are equal, and we respect the right of people of all countries to independently choose their own development path,” China’s foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, said yesterday after receiving an honorary degree from the Geneva School of Diplomacy.
Burma court finds Suu Kyi guilty
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "saddened and angry" by the verdict and described the trial as a "sham".
In a strongly-worded statement, Mr Brown said it was "a purely political sentence".
A statement from the office of Nicolas Sarkozy said the French president was calling on the European Union to impose new sanctions on Burma.
The EU presidency said it would impose "additional targeted measures against those responsible for the verdict".
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Aung San Suu Kyi should not have been convicted, and she also called for the release of American citizen John Yettaw. We are concerned about the harsh sentence imposed on him, especially in light of his medical condition," she told reporters.
Mr Yettaw is believed to have epilepsy, diabetes and post-traumatic stress disorder, and has been treated at a Rangoon hospital.
Myint Myint Aye, of Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party - the country's main opposition, said the party did not accept the verdict, adding: "We demand her immediate unconditional release and we will keep on pressing."
In a strongly-worded statement, Mr Brown said it was "a purely political sentence".
A statement from the office of Nicolas Sarkozy said the French president was calling on the European Union to impose new sanctions on Burma.
The EU presidency said it would impose "additional targeted measures against those responsible for the verdict".
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Aung San Suu Kyi should not have been convicted, and she also called for the release of American citizen John Yettaw. We are concerned about the harsh sentence imposed on him, especially in light of his medical condition," she told reporters.
Mr Yettaw is believed to have epilepsy, diabetes and post-traumatic stress disorder, and has been treated at a Rangoon hospital.
Myint Myint Aye, of Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party - the country's main opposition, said the party did not accept the verdict, adding: "We demand her immediate unconditional release and we will keep on pressing."
Suu Kyi given 18-month sentence
Aung San Suu Kyi has been found guilty by a Rangoon prison court of breaching conditions of her house arrest and will face a further 18 months under house arrest, it was announced today.
At the end of a trial which has strecthed over three months, the judge initally handed down a sentence of three years with hard labour, before a “direct order” from junta chief Than Shwe to communte this to a year-and-a-half.
Her co-defendant John Yettaw, the US citizen whose visit to Suu Kyi’s compound sparked the trial, was given seven years with hard labour, while her two caretakers, Khin Khin Win and Win Ma Ma were sentenced to three years imprisonment each.
A reporter at the hearing said that following the initial judgement by the court, the government’s minister of home affairs, Maung Oo, arrived with an order from Than Shwe “which pardons half of her term and appoints her to just stay in her house for remainder of the term.”
Suu Kyi’s US-based legal counsel, Jared Genser, issued a statement today “deploring” the sentencing.
“The outcome of this trial has never been in doubt,” he said. “The real question is how the international community will react – will it do more than simply condemn this latest injustice?”
“The junta remains deeply concerned about Ms. Suu Kyi’s popular appeal, especially leading up to the 2010 ‘election’ that it hopes will legitimize the regime.”
British prime minister Gordon Brown said that the verdict is “further proof that the military regime in Burma is determined to act with total disregard for accepted standards of the rule of law and in defiance of international opinion”.
“The façade of her prosecution is made more monstrous because its real objective is to sever her bond with the people for whom she is a beacon of hope and resistance,” he added.
The Thailand-based Assistance Associaiton for Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP) said the trial was “yet another travesty of justice”.
“There is no justice, no rule of law, and no independent judiciary in Burma,” said Tate Naing, secretary of AAPP. “The continued detention of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is the jailing of Burma’s future. She is the true leader of Burma.”
AAPP called on the US and UK governemnts “to show international political leadership on Burma” at the United Nations – the UK takes up the revolving chair of the UN Security Council this month.
Along with AAPP, the Burma Partnership (BP) group and the Forum for Democracy in Burma (FDB) called on the UN to pass a binding resolution on Burma, including a “global arms embargo and [establishment of] a commission of inquiry to investigate crimes against humanity”.
Debbie Chan from the Hong Kong Coalition for a Free Burma, said the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) must “respond to these flagrant violations of its new Charter and place the issue of democratization, systematic human rights violations, and Burma’s threat to regional security on the agenda of the 15th ASEAN Summit in October 2009”.
At the end of a trial which has strecthed over three months, the judge initally handed down a sentence of three years with hard labour, before a “direct order” from junta chief Than Shwe to communte this to a year-and-a-half.
Her co-defendant John Yettaw, the US citizen whose visit to Suu Kyi’s compound sparked the trial, was given seven years with hard labour, while her two caretakers, Khin Khin Win and Win Ma Ma were sentenced to three years imprisonment each.
A reporter at the hearing said that following the initial judgement by the court, the government’s minister of home affairs, Maung Oo, arrived with an order from Than Shwe “which pardons half of her term and appoints her to just stay in her house for remainder of the term.”
Suu Kyi’s US-based legal counsel, Jared Genser, issued a statement today “deploring” the sentencing.
“The outcome of this trial has never been in doubt,” he said. “The real question is how the international community will react – will it do more than simply condemn this latest injustice?”
“The junta remains deeply concerned about Ms. Suu Kyi’s popular appeal, especially leading up to the 2010 ‘election’ that it hopes will legitimize the regime.”
British prime minister Gordon Brown said that the verdict is “further proof that the military regime in Burma is determined to act with total disregard for accepted standards of the rule of law and in defiance of international opinion”.
“The façade of her prosecution is made more monstrous because its real objective is to sever her bond with the people for whom she is a beacon of hope and resistance,” he added.
The Thailand-based Assistance Associaiton for Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP) said the trial was “yet another travesty of justice”.
“There is no justice, no rule of law, and no independent judiciary in Burma,” said Tate Naing, secretary of AAPP. “The continued detention of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is the jailing of Burma’s future. She is the true leader of Burma.”
AAPP called on the US and UK governemnts “to show international political leadership on Burma” at the United Nations – the UK takes up the revolving chair of the UN Security Council this month.
Along with AAPP, the Burma Partnership (BP) group and the Forum for Democracy in Burma (FDB) called on the UN to pass a binding resolution on Burma, including a “global arms embargo and [establishment of] a commission of inquiry to investigate crimes against humanity”.
Debbie Chan from the Hong Kong Coalition for a Free Burma, said the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) must “respond to these flagrant violations of its new Charter and place the issue of democratization, systematic human rights violations, and Burma’s threat to regional security on the agenda of the 15th ASEAN Summit in October 2009”.
Saturday, 1 August 2009
Burmese Muslims attack government office
Around 40 Muslims in western Burma were detained for allegedly ransacking a local immigration office after officials there assaulted a local Muslim man for not paying a fine.
A resident in Arakan state’s Kyauk Ni Maw village said the dispute started after a local Muslim man who returned from travelling refused to pay a fine for exceeding stay outside of the village as shown in his travel permit.
Muslims in Arakan state are required to get a document known as the Form-4 from government immigration if they want to travel outside of their region.
“He said he couldn’t pay the money they asked for as he had already paid a lot acquiring the [permission] document and the officials [at the immigration office] beat him up,” said the village resident, adding that he was left with a broken arm and vomiting blood.”
News on the attack quickly spread to Kyauk Ni Maw village where 75 percent of the population are Muslim. Some local villagers, including the man’s relatives, were enraged.
“They went to the immigration office and beat up the people who beat up the man. They also tore down the office building and broke some flag poles,” he said.
Following the incident, authorities arrested around 40 people, including some who were not involved, the villager said, and detained them in nearby Yanbyal township jail.
The detainees are due to appear in court on 10 August where they will face charges for breaching peace.
“They just arrested random people, but all Muslim, in the village without identifying who was involved in the attack,” said the villager. “Some people had already fled in fear of getting arrested in connection with the case.”
Muslims living in Burma have long been marginalized by the military government.
Three prominent ‘anti-Muslim’ riots have erupted in Burma in the past 12 years following heightened tension between Muslims and Buddhists.
Their situation was thrown into the spotlight earlier this year when around 1000 Rohingya refugees washed up in boats on Thailand’s shores, only to be towed back out to sea and set adrift by Thai authorities.
The Rohingya, who are a minority Muslim population, are not recognized by the Burmese government and suffer frequent discrimination due to their lack of legal status.
A resident in Arakan state’s Kyauk Ni Maw village said the dispute started after a local Muslim man who returned from travelling refused to pay a fine for exceeding stay outside of the village as shown in his travel permit.
Muslims in Arakan state are required to get a document known as the Form-4 from government immigration if they want to travel outside of their region.
“He said he couldn’t pay the money they asked for as he had already paid a lot acquiring the [permission] document and the officials [at the immigration office] beat him up,” said the village resident, adding that he was left with a broken arm and vomiting blood.”
News on the attack quickly spread to Kyauk Ni Maw village where 75 percent of the population are Muslim. Some local villagers, including the man’s relatives, were enraged.
“They went to the immigration office and beat up the people who beat up the man. They also tore down the office building and broke some flag poles,” he said.
Following the incident, authorities arrested around 40 people, including some who were not involved, the villager said, and detained them in nearby Yanbyal township jail.
The detainees are due to appear in court on 10 August where they will face charges for breaching peace.
“They just arrested random people, but all Muslim, in the village without identifying who was involved in the attack,” said the villager. “Some people had already fled in fear of getting arrested in connection with the case.”
Muslims living in Burma have long been marginalized by the military government.
Three prominent ‘anti-Muslim’ riots have erupted in Burma in the past 12 years following heightened tension between Muslims and Buddhists.
Their situation was thrown into the spotlight earlier this year when around 1000 Rohingya refugees washed up in boats on Thailand’s shores, only to be towed back out to sea and set adrift by Thai authorities.
The Rohingya, who are a minority Muslim population, are not recognized by the Burmese government and suffer frequent discrimination due to their lack of legal status.
Philippines backs US condemnation of Burma
Philippine president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday said her country backed the United States in its condemnation of the Burmese junta, prior to today’s would-be verdict on the Aung San Suu Kyi trial.
Arroyo was at the White House yesterday to discuss with US president Barack Obama the political crisis in Burma as well as fears over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
"We stand ... behind the United States on the position that it has taken with regard to Burma and with regard to North Korea's nuclear adventurism," she told Reuters.
Obama replied that the US was grateful for its support and praised the Philippines for “[punching] above its weight” in the international arena.
In April, Arroyo hailed the Philippines’ democratic transition as a model for Burma and urged the ruling junta to follow the political reforms carried out by her administration that signaled the end of military rule in the Philippines.
A statement released in May by the Philippines foreign affairs secretary, Alberto G Romulo, said the country was “deeply troubled and outraged” by the “trumped up” charges faced by Suu Kyi.
“These recent incidents will surely impede the process of national reconciliation and the Roadmap to Democracy in Myanmar,” it said.
The trial, which has stretched over nearly three months, wrapped up on Monday with an announcement from the judges that a verdict would be delivered today.
It was announced this morning however that the verdict has been delayed until 11 August, while the court reviews certain legal issues surrounding the case.
The US has repeatedly condemned the trial, and earlier this week renewed its package of sanctions on the regime.
Arroyo was at the White House yesterday to discuss with US president Barack Obama the political crisis in Burma as well as fears over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
"We stand ... behind the United States on the position that it has taken with regard to Burma and with regard to North Korea's nuclear adventurism," she told Reuters.
Obama replied that the US was grateful for its support and praised the Philippines for “[punching] above its weight” in the international arena.
In April, Arroyo hailed the Philippines’ democratic transition as a model for Burma and urged the ruling junta to follow the political reforms carried out by her administration that signaled the end of military rule in the Philippines.
A statement released in May by the Philippines foreign affairs secretary, Alberto G Romulo, said the country was “deeply troubled and outraged” by the “trumped up” charges faced by Suu Kyi.
“These recent incidents will surely impede the process of national reconciliation and the Roadmap to Democracy in Myanmar,” it said.
The trial, which has stretched over nearly three months, wrapped up on Monday with an announcement from the judges that a verdict would be delivered today.
It was announced this morning however that the verdict has been delayed until 11 August, while the court reviews certain legal issues surrounding the case.
The US has repeatedly condemned the trial, and earlier this week renewed its package of sanctions on the regime.
Suu Kyi verdict delayed until 11 August
The verdict in the trial of Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, which was due to be delivered today, has been postponed until 11 August, according to her lawyer.
The trial, which has stretched over nearly three months, wrapped up on Monday with an announcement from the judges that a verdict would be delivered today.
However, according lawyer Nyan Win, the courtroom announced this morning that the decision would be delayed until 11 August while the judges review the case.
Diplomats from five countries who have been allowed to witness the trial in recent days have reportedly left the courtroom.
Suu Kyi will remain in her unit inside Rangoon’s Insein Prison, where she has been held since 14 May on charges of breaching conditions of her house arrest.
Meanwhile, six members of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party in Magwe division were arrested last night by government authorities at their houses, according to fellow NLD members.
A member of the NLD, Kyaw Nyein, said the motives were unclear, but could have been to detain the members for a short time to prevent protests from breaking out if Suu Kyi had been jailed.
The trial, which has stretched over nearly three months, wrapped up on Monday with an announcement from the judges that a verdict would be delivered today.
However, according lawyer Nyan Win, the courtroom announced this morning that the decision would be delayed until 11 August while the judges review the case.
Diplomats from five countries who have been allowed to witness the trial in recent days have reportedly left the courtroom.
Suu Kyi will remain in her unit inside Rangoon’s Insein Prison, where she has been held since 14 May on charges of breaching conditions of her house arrest.
Meanwhile, six members of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party in Magwe division were arrested last night by government authorities at their houses, according to fellow NLD members.
A member of the NLD, Kyaw Nyein, said the motives were unclear, but could have been to detain the members for a short time to prevent protests from breaking out if Suu Kyi had been jailed.
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