PROTEST LETTER TO MYANMAR’S PM RE: AUNG SAN SUU KYI
General Thein Sein PM Myanmar
I write to you out of deep concern at the guilty verdict of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on August 11, 2009. This incident is the latest human rights abuse inflicted upon the Nobel Peace Prize winner, who has been detained for 13 of the last 20 years, mostly under house arrest.
On 11 August a court in Yangon’s Insein prison found Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader guilty of violating the conditions of her house arrest, after Mr John Yettaw, an uninvited American, swam to her house in May this year.
Daw Suu Kyi only allowed him to spend two nights there because he was suffering exhaustion and poor health.
Most people who respect human life and human rights would have done the same.
Under Section 22 of Myanmar’s State Protection Act of 1975, the court sentenced Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to three years’ imprisonment, commuted to 18 months under house arrest.
It is unfair in the extreme that she should be blamed for Mr Yettaw’s actions. If she is such a security risk as your dictatorship claims, why was this man not prevented from entering Aung San Suu Kyi’s residence?
To most reasonable people, this man should be facing a criminal charge of trespass and the officer in charge of security at Aung San Suu Kyi’s house should be investigated for negligence in the course of duty.
Many people around the world consider that the ruling junta has just used this as an excuse (albeit an extremely weak one)to unfairly detain the democracy leader in your country prior to an election.
Of course, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi should have never been arrested in the first place. She is only in detention because she had the audacity to be democratically elected by the people of Myanmar in 1990 to lead them.
I urge your government to demonstrate Myanmar’s commitment to human rights by ordering the immediate and unconditional release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all other prisoners of conscience being held in Myanmar.
Millions of people around the world admire Aung San Suu Kyi’s courage, her tenacity and her dedication to peace, justice and human rights.Most of the people of Myanmar people do so as well or you would have allowed free elections long ago.
From Andy Alcock
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