UN chief urges release of Aung San Suu Kyi

June 19, 2010 03:20 pm | Updated December 04, 2021 11:45 pm IST - United Nations

Myanmar's detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi smiles while exiting the Inya Lake Hotel after meeting with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell in Yangon, Myanmar. File photo: AP.

Myanmar's detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi smiles while exiting the Inya Lake Hotel after meeting with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell in Yangon, Myanmar. File photo: AP.

On the eve of Aung San Suu Kyi’s 65th birthday, U.N. Secretary—General Ban Ki—moon demanded on Friday that Myanmar’s military rulers release the detained pro—democracy leader and all other political prisoners.

The U.N. chief told a news conference that he remains “deeply concerned” that the Nobel Peace Prize laureate is still under house arrest.

Ms. Suu Kyi’s house arrest was extended last year after she was convicted on charges of violating the terms of her detention when an American man swam uninvited to her lakeside property. Her National League for Democracy party won the last election in 1990 but was never allowed to take power and she has been detained for about 14 of the past 20 years.

The first elections since 1990 are scheduled this year, part of the junta’s long—announced “roadmap to democracy,” which critics deride as a sham designed to cement the power of the military, which has ruled Myanmar, also known as Burma, since 1962. The country’s new electoral laws were widely criticized as designed to keep Ms. Suu Kyi out of the race.

“I have been persistently, consistently demanding that all the political prisoners including Daw Aun San Suu Kyi should be released without condition as soon as possible so that they will be able to participate in the political process since Myanmar is going to have an election this year,” Mr. Ban said.

“This election shoud be an inclusive process where all the parties and all the people can participate,” the secretary—general said. “This election must be held in a credible and impartial and objective way.”

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.