Myanmar's military junta has denied UN Chief Ban Ki-moon permission to see Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi in her detention cell in his effort to secure the release of Myanmar's political prisoners including Suu Kyi.
Myanmar’s military junta led by leader Than Shwe rejected the request of the United Nation’s Chief Ban Ki moon to visit Myanmar’s pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi in her detention cell.
Ban flew to Myanmar Friday on invitation by Myanmar’s military junta for talks that were expected to include the release of Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.
Suu Kyi is under extended prison term after a 13-year detention term expired early this year. She was scheduled to be released on her birthday early this year. But new charges were filed against her for allowing an American, John William Yettaw, swam across her lakeside detention center and allowed by her to stay for at least a day.
Yettaw claimed that he sneaked into the lakeside house to protect Suu Kyi from possible attack by the parties sympathetic to the regime when she regains freedom.
Suu Kyi is being tried anew for subversion and other crimes along with Yettaw and two of her maids. If she is found guilty, Suu Kyi will serve another five years in prison.
In 1990, Suu Kyi’s NLD party participated in Myanmar’s national elections on a platform of democracy and won. She was then scheduled to be sworn into office as Prime Minister of Myanmar but was not allowed by the ruling military junta. She was instead arrested and put in jail. While in detention, she continued her crusade in bringing democracy to Myanmar through non-violent means and for her efforts she was given a Nobel peace prize.
Myanmar’s military regime has barred Suu Kyi for life from running for political office but her party and other human rights groups suspect that the junta thinks that her freedom will reinvigorate the opposition.
CNN reports:
Ban told CNN in May that he was in talks with Myanmar's leadership about traveling to Yangon to seek Suu Kyi's release, as well as push for democratization.
"This is an unacceptable situation when she has been under detention for such a long time," Ban said. "She's a Nobel peace laureate."
