“Despite anticipation of landmark elections this year, I have not received any indication that the military government is willing to release all prisoners of conscience…Without full participation of the people including the 2200 prisoners of conscience and the environment that allows the parties to engage in the range of electoral activities, the elections to be held will not be credible.”
Feb 20, 2010
Suu Kyi supporters jailed
Yangon - Myanmar has jailed four women activists for two years with hard labour, a lawyer said on Tuesday, as a UN special envoy was touring the country to inspect progress on human rights ahead of elections.
The four women were accused of causing public unrest and sentenced at a closed prison court on Monday in the former capital Yangon, said opposition party lawyer Kyaw Hoe.
"Naw Ohn Hla and another three women were sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labour," Kyaw Hoe told AFP.
"They were sentenced... for upsetting public peace and tranquillity. We will appeal for their release soon at the Yangon Divisional Court," he said.
The four women were arrested in October for donating literature to a high profile monastery in the eastern satellite town of Dagon.
Their arrest came four days after detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi discovered her appeal against the extension of her house arrest had been rejected and as supporters gathered to pray for her release.
UN envoy visiting Myanmar
UN special envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana is visiting Myanmar's western border on the second day of a five-day human rights inspection ahead of elections promised this year, the first in Myanmar for two decades.
On Monday, the Argentinean envoy met judges and opposition lawyers in the former capital Yangon.
Last week the regime jailed a US activist, but two days later freed Suu Kyi's deputy, 83-year-old Tin Oo, who immediately called for more than 2 100 other political prisoners to be freed.
Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi has been detained for most of the last two decades. Her National League for Democracy party won elections in 1990 but was never allowed to take power.
Quintana is due to return to Yangon on Thursday to visit the notorious Insein prison, where many dissidents are held, but does not yet know if he will be allowed to see Suu Kyi.
The four women were accused of causing public unrest and sentenced at a closed prison court on Monday in the former capital Yangon, said opposition party lawyer Kyaw Hoe.
"Naw Ohn Hla and another three women were sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labour," Kyaw Hoe told AFP.
"They were sentenced... for upsetting public peace and tranquillity. We will appeal for their release soon at the Yangon Divisional Court," he said.
The four women were arrested in October for donating literature to a high profile monastery in the eastern satellite town of Dagon.
Their arrest came four days after detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi discovered her appeal against the extension of her house arrest had been rejected and as supporters gathered to pray for her release.
UN envoy visiting Myanmar
UN special envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana is visiting Myanmar's western border on the second day of a five-day human rights inspection ahead of elections promised this year, the first in Myanmar for two decades.
On Monday, the Argentinean envoy met judges and opposition lawyers in the former capital Yangon.
Last week the regime jailed a US activist, but two days later freed Suu Kyi's deputy, 83-year-old Tin Oo, who immediately called for more than 2 100 other political prisoners to be freed.
Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi has been detained for most of the last two decades. Her National League for Democracy party won elections in 1990 but was never allowed to take power.
Quintana is due to return to Yangon on Thursday to visit the notorious Insein prison, where many dissidents are held, but does not yet know if he will be allowed to see Suu Kyi.
Nov 27, 2009
Irrawaddy: INGO work in Burma could stop during election period – Wai Moe
International non-governmental organizations (INGOs) operating in Burma are likely to suspend their activities next May, according to NGO sources in Burma.
Although no official announcement has yet been made by the regime, some government officials warned that INGO work could be suspended from May until October because of the 2010 election, said INGO sources.
“We have heard from government officials that possibly because of the election, INGOs in the country will temporarily close project activities in the country,” said an INGO staffer in Rangoon, requesting anonymity. “No written order has yet been made by government ministries, however.”
A veteran lawyer in Rangoon, Kyi Wynn, said a non-Burmese friend working for an INGO told him he had been informed by a government official that INGO activities would be halted during the election period.
Although no official announcement has yet been made by the regime, some government officials warned that INGO work could be suspended from May until October because of the 2010 election, said INGO sources.
“We have heard from government officials that possibly because of the election, INGOs in the country will temporarily close project activities in the country,” said an INGO staffer in Rangoon, requesting anonymity. “No written order has yet been made by government ministries, however.”
A veteran lawyer in Rangoon, Kyi Wynn, said a non-Burmese friend working for an INGO told him he had been informed by a government official that INGO activities would be halted during the election period.
Oct 17, 2009
Myanmar’s Suu Kyi positive about sanctions meetings: lawyer
Yangon – Myanmar’s detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has said her recent meetings about sanctions with diplomats and a junta minister were positive, her lawyer told AFP Friday.
She held a rare meeting last Friday with top Western diplomats to discuss sanctions imposed on the military-ruled nation, having earlier in the week met twice with Aung Kyi, the official liaison between herself and the junta.
The pair had not met since January 2008.
The meetings followed a letter she wrote to junta chief Than Shwe, which offered suggestions on getting sanctions lifted, marking an easing of her stance after years of advocating punitive measures against the ruling generals.
“Daw Suu sees the meetings as positive and also she expects the meeting process to be effective,” her lawyer Nyan Win said, after meeting with the opposition leader for an hour on Friday. “Daw” is a term of respect in Myanmar.
The Nobel Peace Laureate wants to meet with diplomats again to get more facts and figures about sanctions, Nyan Win said, adding that they would not be releasing any more details of the talks for the moment.
On October 2, Suu Kyi’s appeal against her extended house arrest was rejected by judges, who upheld her August conviction over an incident in which an American man swam uninvited to her lakeside house.
The guilty verdict for the frail 64-year-old, who has spent around 14 of the past 20 years in detention, earned her an extra 18 months’ house arrest and provoked international outrage.
Nyan Win said they would now prepare a revision of the appeal to submit to the Supreme Court, which they also discussed with Suu Kyi Friday.
The junta refused to let Suu Kyi take power after the country’s last elections in 1990, which her National League for Democracy (NLD) party won by a landslide, leading Western countries to impose sanctions.
Her extended house arrest keeps her off the scene for elections promised by the regime next year, adding to criticism that the polls are a sham designed to legitimise the military regime’s grip on power.
The US recently unveiled a major policy shift to re-engage the junta but warned against lifting sanctions until progress is made towards democracy.
She held a rare meeting last Friday with top Western diplomats to discuss sanctions imposed on the military-ruled nation, having earlier in the week met twice with Aung Kyi, the official liaison between herself and the junta.
The pair had not met since January 2008.
The meetings followed a letter she wrote to junta chief Than Shwe, which offered suggestions on getting sanctions lifted, marking an easing of her stance after years of advocating punitive measures against the ruling generals.
“Daw Suu sees the meetings as positive and also she expects the meeting process to be effective,” her lawyer Nyan Win said, after meeting with the opposition leader for an hour on Friday. “Daw” is a term of respect in Myanmar.
The Nobel Peace Laureate wants to meet with diplomats again to get more facts and figures about sanctions, Nyan Win said, adding that they would not be releasing any more details of the talks for the moment.
On October 2, Suu Kyi’s appeal against her extended house arrest was rejected by judges, who upheld her August conviction over an incident in which an American man swam uninvited to her lakeside house.
The guilty verdict for the frail 64-year-old, who has spent around 14 of the past 20 years in detention, earned her an extra 18 months’ house arrest and provoked international outrage.
Nyan Win said they would now prepare a revision of the appeal to submit to the Supreme Court, which they also discussed with Suu Kyi Friday.
The junta refused to let Suu Kyi take power after the country’s last elections in 1990, which her National League for Democracy (NLD) party won by a landslide, leading Western countries to impose sanctions.
Her extended house arrest keeps her off the scene for elections promised by the regime next year, adding to criticism that the polls are a sham designed to legitimise the military regime’s grip on power.
The US recently unveiled a major policy shift to re-engage the junta but warned against lifting sanctions until progress is made towards democracy.
Myanmar opposition leader to appeal sentence at Supreme Court
Yangon – Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday agreed to allow defence lawyers to appeal to the Supreme Court against her recent sentence to 18 months under house detention.
“We will appeal the case up to the Supreme Court level and are preparing the appeal now,” said Nyan Win, one of four attorneys in Suu Kyi’s defence team.
Nyan Win met with Suu Kyi Friday afternoon at her house-cum-prison in Yangon, where she had spent 14 of the past 20 years under detention.
On October 2, the Yangon Division Court rejected Suu Kyi’s appeal against a lower court’s verdict on August 11 that found her guilty of violating the terms of her previous imprisonment by allowing US national John Yettaw to swim to her house of detention, a family compound that sits on Inya Lake.
Originally the Insein Prison Court sentenced Suu Kyi to three years in jail, but the term was commuted to 18 months under house detention by Myanmar’s junta supremo Senior General Than Shwe.
The detention term is sufficient to keep Suu Kyi, who heads the National League for Democracy (NLD) opposition party, out of the picture while the junta stages a general election some time next year.
The election is expected to be neither free nor fair.
The NLD won the last election of 1990 buy a landslide, but was blocked from assuming power by the military which has ruled Myanmar since 1962.
“We will appeal the case up to the Supreme Court level and are preparing the appeal now,” said Nyan Win, one of four attorneys in Suu Kyi’s defence team.
Nyan Win met with Suu Kyi Friday afternoon at her house-cum-prison in Yangon, where she had spent 14 of the past 20 years under detention.
On October 2, the Yangon Division Court rejected Suu Kyi’s appeal against a lower court’s verdict on August 11 that found her guilty of violating the terms of her previous imprisonment by allowing US national John Yettaw to swim to her house of detention, a family compound that sits on Inya Lake.
Originally the Insein Prison Court sentenced Suu Kyi to three years in jail, but the term was commuted to 18 months under house detention by Myanmar’s junta supremo Senior General Than Shwe.
The detention term is sufficient to keep Suu Kyi, who heads the National League for Democracy (NLD) opposition party, out of the picture while the junta stages a general election some time next year.
The election is expected to be neither free nor fair.
The NLD won the last election of 1990 buy a landslide, but was blocked from assuming power by the military which has ruled Myanmar since 1962.
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