Myanmar/UN

UN head Ban calls for release of Aung San Suu Kyi

Article published on the 2009-07-03 Latest update 2009-07-03 14:49 TU

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday ahead of his trip to Myanmar
(Photo: Reuters)

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon called on the Myanmar leadership to release National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday, the first day of his two-day visit to Naypyidaw. He described the visit as "a very tough mission" and said his goal was the release of all political prisoners in the country, including Suu Kyi.

Ban met Than Shwe, the leader of the country’s ruling junta, in Naypyidaw and called on him to release Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been held in prison in Yangon since May on violations of her house arrest.

He also asked Than Shwe to authorise a meeting with the 64-year-old Nobel peace laureate.

“I told him that I wanted to meet her but he told me that she is on trial,” Ban told reporters afterwards. “But I told him that this is my proposal, and this is important, and I'm waiting for their reply.”

Asked how soon he expected a response from the junta on his request to see her, Ban said, "I am leaving tomorrow (Saturday), so logically speaking I am waiting for a reply before my departure."

He earlier described the visit as "a very tough mission" and said his goal was the release of all political prisoners in the country - estimated at over 2,000 - before elections which are scheduled for 2010.

"I proposed and I urged that all political prisoners should be released before this election begins, so that this election can be all inclusive," Ban said.

“I don’t think there is any chance that Burmese military leaders would allow Ban Ki-Moon to visit Aung San Suu Kyi,” says Aung Zaw, the editor of the Thailand-based opposition magazine, Irrawaddy.

Ban was also due to meet Prime Minister Thein Sein and representatives from Myanmar's registered political parties and former armed groups. The visit is his first since he convinced the ruling military government to accept international aid after Cyclone Nargis in 2008.

“A lot of people outside the country have strong reservations," Aung Zaw told RFI. "They even said that this trip is quite dangerous because the military leaders could exploit the visit just to legitimise the upcoming election.

“UN special envoys have visited Burma so many times over the last 20 years. If each visit had produced a tiny result, we wouldn’t need Ban Ki-moon to go into Burma. The UN mission to Burma is going nowhere. It is a mission impossible. It is a very sad affair, in fact.”

Suu Kyi's trial, which has been taking place at the Insein jail in Yangon, was adjourned on Friday for a week.

"Daw Aung San Suu Kyi attended the trial this morning but the court said that as they haven't got the case from the Supreme Court the trial is suspended to 10 July," NLD spokesman Nyan Win said.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by her defence team to allow two members of her party to appear as defence witnesses.

She faces a sentence of up to five years if found gulity of breaching her house arrest.

She has spent more than 13 years under house arrest since 1989, when the NLD won an overwhelming victory in an election that has never been acknowledged by the junta.