Top UN officials call for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi after Myanmar extends her house arrest.
(SALEM, Ore.) - The madness in Myanmar continues. Hope of seeing a change in the ruling military junta of this Asian nation have vanished, with the decision by the Government of Myanmar to extend the house arrest of pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
As the war rages in oil rich Iraq, the peace crushing government of the former Burma, now Myanmar, has been allowed by the world community to keep its democratically elected leader under house arrest, and continue its position as one of, if not the single most abusive military dictatorships in the world with a history of murder and false imprisonment of its own citizens.
The United Nations is trying to raise awareness and their statements continue to grow bolder. Their High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour voiced her "profound disappointment," calling on the Government to unconditionally release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
"Her release will be critical in facilitating national reconciliation and democratic transition, to which the Myanmar leadership has committed itself," Ms. Arbour said in a statement.
Prof. OOI Keat Gin in Malaysia who writes articles for Salem-News.com, says bringing change to Myanmar will be no easy struggle, "No amount of sanctions, blockades, and other pressures from without are going to effect change in Myanmar; it has to come from within, and, more importantly, from Myanmar people themselves."
He is also critical of any type of military action, though many people believe that is exactly what should happen.
"A gradual transition to democratic governance is the preferred panacea than a radical ousting of the current military junta as the international community (read the Western democracies) is unrealistically advocating."
Yet critics still insist that military intervention is the answer in a place steeped in violence as Myanmar is. The country's military forces continue to treat people in ways that are clearly inhumane and illegal.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is the General Secretary of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Myanmar and a Nobel laureate. She has been under house arrest for 12 of the last 18 years and her current period of detention began in 2003. Her house arrest was extended again yesterday, on May 27th.
"These continued severe restrictions on the freedom of expression and movement against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi contravene basic human rights," the UN High Commissioner noted. "They come at a time when the people of Myanmar are suffering hard and their suffering should not be compounded by more restrictive measures."
To underscore the current state of affairs, it was announced that at least 15 members of the NLD who were marching towards Ms. Suu Kyi’s house Tuesday were arrested.
General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim cut to the chase by urging the release of "all political detainees" in Myanmar and expressed his "disappointment" over the decision to extend Ms. Suu Kyi’s house arrest.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Kerim "continues to believe that it is important to have serious engagement and strong commitment from all parties to continue the process of national reconciliation that needs to be credible and inclusive and must lead to concrete results as envisaged by the relevant General Assembly resolutions."
The problems in Burma are large and out of control, and they are overshadowed by a long series of political mistakes from the U.S. government over the last seven and a half years. It pains many Americans to hear the President talk about "bringing freedom and democracy to the world" when a quick reality check in Burma tells us we are doing nothing of the sort. It appears that the United Nations may be getting closer to taking action of their own, as they progressively lose patience with the ruling military junta in Myanmar under the direction of Senior General Than Shwe.
For a roundup of the most recent Salem-News.com articles on the struggles of Burma, visit this link: Salem-News.com Myanmar articles
Extension of House Arrest for Myanmar's Democratic Leader Rests Poorly with UNSalem-News.com