Suu Kyi’s lawyer despatches letter to PM

by Solomon

Wednesday, 18 March 2009 18:59

New Delhi (Mizzima) - Detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyer has sent a letter of appeal to the Prime Minister General Thein Sein to review the house arrest order of his client. Kyi Win, the high court lawyer, sent the letter on 13 March 2009 but there has been no response so far from Gen. Thein Sein.  “We have sent the letter to the Prime Minister containing the appeal. He may respond only after he comes back from his trip,”  Kyi Win told Mizzima over telephone. Thein Sein has led a Burmese delegation from Naypyitaw on 15 March and is visiting Indonesia and Singapore. His trip will conclude on 18 March. Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has been under one form or another of detention since May 2003 after she and her supporters were attacked by junta backed goons during the National League for Democracy’s political tour of Depayin. Currently, she is being detained at her lake-side villa. The controversial house arrest terms according to the junta can be extended up to six years but the opposition lawyers argue it can be only up to five years consecutively. Suu Kyi’s appeal against the so-called ‘illegal detention’, started in October last year but junta paid no heed. On the contrary it barred her from meeting her  lawyer. The military junta extended Suu Kyi’s detention in May 2008 and it will end on May 27, 2009 according to Kyi Win. Meanwhile, the police arrested at least five National League for Democracy (NLD) members including Ma Cho, Sein Hlaing, Shwe Jo, Kyi Lwin in Rangoon, party sources said. Nyan Win, Spokesman of NLD “This is not fair and it is unjust. At least they [junta] should have informed their family members why they were arrested.” According to the Thai based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma [AAPP-B] there are 2,128 political prisoners across Burma’s jails. But a delegation of the military junta Wunna Maung Lwin speaking at the 10th session of the UN’s Human Rights Council at Geneva said there were no prisoners of conscience in the country. There were only prisoners who broke the laws of the state. < Prev   Next >