Aung San Suu Kyi’s house is free, but she isn’t
June 15th, 2009 - 7:30 pm ICT by IANSYangon, June 15 (DPA) Myanmar’s junta has dropped its guard over opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s compound in Yangon since her house detention officially ended May 27, but she has meanwhile been transferred to Insein Prison, opposition sources said Monday.
“Daw (Mrs) Aung San Suu Kyi’s house is already free from control by the authorities,” Nyan Win, one of Suu Kyi’s lawyers, said.
Suu Kyi, currently a resident at Yangon’s notorious Insein Prison, has assigned two men to take care of her family compound in her absence, said Nyan Win, who is also the spokesman for the National League for Democracy (NLD) opposition party which Suu Kyi leads.
Suu Kyi spent six years under detention and near complete isolation in her family’s lakeside home before being transferred to Insein Prison May 9 to stand trial for breaking the terms of her incarceration.
On May 3, US national John William Yettaw swam to Suu Kyi’s house-cum-prison on Inya Lake, stayed there until May 5, and was arrested while trying to leave her house.
Suu Kyi, whose detention term ended May 27, faces another three-to-five years in prison if found guilty of colluding in Yettaw’s unauthorised visit.
Her trial, being held at a special court set up in Insein Prison, will resume June 26.
The Nobel peace prize laureate’s latest legal travails have sparked international condemnation and expressions of concern by western governments and even from some of Myanmar’s close allies in South-East Asia.
In the latest protest Monday, 100 well-known former political prisoners added their voices to calls for Suu Kyi’s immediate release.
“Aung San Suu Kyi’s continued detention shames Asia,” said former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung, one of the prominent former political prisoners to sign a petition demanding Suu Kyi’s freedom before her 64th birthday June 19.
“ASEAN cannot continue its policy of non-intervention. It’s time to work together for regional stability and prosperity,” said Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s prominent opposition leader who spent several years in jail under the rule of former premier Mahathir Muhammad.
The former political prisoners also called on the UN Security Council to establish a global arms embargo on Myanmar.
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- Myanmar opposition leader Suu Kyi to renovate home-cum-prison - Aug 31, 2009
- Myanmar court extends Suu Kyi's trial by a day - Jul 28, 2009
- Myanmar court postpones verdict on Aung San Suu Kyi - Jul 31, 2009
- Aung San Suu Kyi trial opens to diplomats, journalists - May 20, 2009
- Myanmar junta releases opposition politician - Jul 15, 2010
- UN special rapporteur on human rights visits Myanmar - Feb 15, 2010
- Myanmar court accepts Aung San Suu Kyi's appeal - Sep 04, 2009
- Myanmar says Aung San Suu Kyi in detention till Nov 27 - May 26, 2009
- Myanmar rejects lawyer for Aung San Suu Kyi (Lead) - May 16, 2009
- Myanmar junta chief commutes Aung San Suu Kyi's sentence (Lead) - Aug 11, 2009
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