‘Myanmar’s Suu Kyi to be freed in few days’

KUALA LUMPUR – Myanmar’s detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is to be released in the “next several days,” UN envoy Razali Ismail said yesterday.

The Nobel peace laureate has been under house arrest since last May – her third such detention since 1988 – after being held in the wake of political unrest which also triggered a sweeping crackdown on her party. “She has to be released in the next several days or so.All indications are pointing to that direction,” Razali told AFP.The former Malaysian diplomat was the catalyst for landmark contacts between Myanmar’s junta and Aung San Suu Kyi which began in October 2000 but collapsed last year, dashing hopes for national reconciliation.Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won 1990 elections in Myanmar but was never allowed to rule.Razali last visited Yangon in early March, his 12th visit to the military-run state, aimed at securing the freedom of Aung San Suu Kyi and to spur democratic reforms.Asked to comment on the release of several of Aung San Suu Kyi’s lieutenants and a rare march through Yangon Saturday, he said: “I am very hopeful the development has taken place.I think it indicates a willingness of all to make the road map to democracy a success.”Razali said he hoped all the parties would use this “window of opportunity” effectively, adding that “all parties should learn from the experiences of the past.”The road map was unveiled by Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt last year as part of a public relations campaign rolled out by the junta after it took opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi into detention in May.- Nampa-AFP”She has to be released in the next several days or so.All indications are pointing to that direction,” Razali told AFP.The former Malaysian diplomat was the catalyst for landmark contacts between Myanmar’s junta and Aung San Suu Kyi which began in October 2000 but collapsed last year, dashing hopes for national reconciliation.Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won 1990 elections in Myanmar but was never allowed to rule.Razali last visited Yangon in early March, his 12th visit to the military-run state, aimed at securing the freedom of Aung San Suu Kyi and to spur democratic reforms.Asked to comment on the release of several of Aung San Suu Kyi’s lieutenants and a rare march through Yangon Saturday, he said: “I am very hopeful the development has taken place.I think it indicates a willingness of all to make the road map to democracy a success.”Razali said he hoped all the parties would use this “window of opportunity” effectively, adding that “all parties should learn from the experiences of the past.”The road map was unveiled by Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt last year as part of a public relations campaign rolled out by the junta after it took opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi into detention in May.- Nampa-AFP