It's three years since I posted this which I think was the first post of mine to get any recognition from the wider world. Three years on and its the time for the Myanmar junta to announce to the waiting world what the future is for Aung San Suu Kyi. It is now almost twenty years since her first period of house arrest, that lasted for six years and it is currently seven years since she was rearrested and once again placed under house arrest. On 27th May 2008 Myanmar's military junta announced it was extending her house arrest another year.
And now we find ourselves witness to one of the biggest government stage trials of recent times, something almost Kafkaesque in its conception. Aung San Suu Kyi has gone on trial at the notorious Insein prison in Rangoon - her crime is that she is charged with breaching the terms of her house arrest because of a visit by an American man who swam across a lake to reach her house.
The house is one of the most guarded in the world and yet a man is able to swim unnoticed by guards and yet seen by the 22 witnesses that the Government intend to call. Ms Suu Kyi faces a further five years in jail if found guilty of breaking the 'terms' of her imprisonment which means she won't be able to take part in next year's elections.
Her defence is that the American was exhausted and so she allowed him to stay in the house on compassionate and medical grounds. The Government of course cannot be seen to lose face and there's a very good chance, as I have intimated above, that they are behind the whole 'swim for freedom.' Two of Ms Suu Kyi's assistants are on trial with her, and the American (a Mr Yettaw - which sounds more like a cowboy rallying call than a surname) is also being tried.
EU leaders have called for tougher sacntions against Burma because of its appalling human rights violations and yet we still wait for any reaction from China and India to these ongoing events - ho hum.
2 comments:
China have their own interests at heart...just as we and the EU have when we say nothing about China! Thing is with the Burma Junta they have too strong a hand and only military acion is going to change that and if the bg neighbours aren't going to do anytghing it leaves you-know-who and they aren't in a state for a new war.
You are right and I think its sad that there isn't the international will do something. Unfortunately I don't think sanctions are the answer because we saw last year that the Government will keep their people on starvation diets to prevent any internal problems.
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