Suu Kyi turns 62 – alone

YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi, one of the world’s most prominent political prisoners, turned 62 yesterday in her fifth consecutive birthday spent under house arrest, as supporters rallied at her party’s headquarters to call for her freedom.

Authorities beefed up security near Suu Kyi’s lakeside residence and extended barbed wire barricades on her street on Monday night. The street was closed to traffic and police with batons were deployed near roadblocks.Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement, has spent more than 11 of the last 17 years in detention, mostly under house arrest.The government considers her a threat to public order and extended her detention last month for one more year.University Avenue, the quiet residential road where her house is located, is usually open to traffic from 6:00 a.m.to 6:00 p.m.but is closed on important events such as Myanmar’s New Year’s day, Suu Kyi’s birthday, and the anniversary of her May 30 detention, apparently to prevent any enthusiastic supporters from going to her house.Suu Kyi is allowed virtually no contact with the outside world except for the occasional visit by her personal physician.Besides her doctor, the only outsider to have met Suu Kyi last year was UN Under Secretary General for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari with whom she had an hour-long meeting at a government guesthouse in November.More than 200 members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) and well-wishers began a birthday celebration at the party’s decrepit headquarters early yesterday morning with a religious ceremony, offering food to Buddhist monks.The NLD reiterated its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of Suu Kyi, as well as the other 1 100 political prisoners believed to be behind bars in the former Burma.As with countless other pleas on countless other “milestones” during Suu Kyi’s 17 years of on-off detention, it is certain to fall on deaf ears.The party’s women’s wing marked Suu Kyi’s 62nd birthday as ‘Myanmar Women’s Day’, demanding her freedom and the release of all political prisoners.Party members and supporters freed doves and released hundreds of coloured balloons into the sky with letters attached calling for her release while several others gathered at Yangon’s famous Shwedagon pagoda to pray for her health and freedom, a party member said.The birthday celebration was watched by more than 100 plainclothes security officers who videotaped the event from across the street.A dozen trucks filled with members of the Union Solidarity and Development Association – the official name of the junta’s political wing – sat nearby.The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was put under house arrest after a pro-government mob in May 2003 attacked her entourage as she was making a political tour of northern Myanmar.It was the third time she has been confined to her residence for an extended period by the military since 1989.Her party Vice Chairman Tin Oo has also been detained since then.The military took power in 1988 after crushing vast pro-democracy demonstrations in Myanmar, then known as Burma.When Suu Kyi’s party won a general election by a landslide on May 27 1990, junta leaders refused to hand over power, insisting the country first needed a new constitution.”In our view, until their constitution is ratified, she will not be released,” said Sann Aung, a Bangkok-based leader of the government-in-exile set up after the junta ignored the 1990 election results.”They are worried that she will be a threat to the National Convention and the referendum,” he said, referring to the junta’s constitution-drafting body which reconvenes for its last session in July.The generals have promised a referendum on the new constitution and eventual elections, but refused to set a timetable.Critics call it a sham aimed at entrenching military control over Myanmar’s 54 million people.Sanctions imposed by the West have had little effect on the military, which has ruled Myanmar in various guises since 1962.But neither has the soft diplomacy employed by Myanmar’s partners in the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), which has been embarrassed by the junta’s intransigence.”Today, Burma is the black sheep of Asean,” Thailand’s Nation newspaper said in an editorial.”As long as Aung San Suu Kyi remains incarcerated, Aean’s reputation and the group’s international standing will be tarnished.”Nampa-AP-ReutersThe street was closed to traffic and police with batons were deployed near roadblocks.Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement, has spent more than 11 of the last 17 years in detention, mostly under house arrest.The government considers her a threat to public order and extended her detention last month for one more year.University Avenue, the quiet residential road where her house is located, is usually open to traffic from 6:00 a.m.to 6:00 p.m.but is closed on important events such as Myanmar’s New Year’s day, Suu Kyi’s birthday, and the anniversary of her May 30 detention, apparently to prevent any enthusiastic supporters from going to her house.Suu Kyi is allowed virtually no contact with the outside world except for the occasional visit by her personal physician.Besides her doctor, the only outsider to have met Suu Kyi last year was UN Under Secretary General for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari with whom she had an hour-long meeting at a government guesthouse in November.More than 200 members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) and well-wishers began a birthday celebration at the party’s decrepit headquarters early yesterday morning with a religious ceremony, offering food to Buddhist monks.The NLD reiterated its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of Suu Kyi, as well as the other 1 100 political prisoners believed to be behind bars in the former Burma.As with countless other pleas on countless other “milestones” during Suu Kyi’s 17 years of on-off detention, it is certain to fall on deaf ears.The party’s women’s wing marked Suu Kyi’s 62nd birthday as ‘Myanmar Women’s Day’, demanding her freedom and the release of all political prisoners.Party members and supporters freed doves and released hundreds of coloured balloons into the sky with letters attached calling for her release while several others gathered at Yangon’s famous Shwedagon pagoda to pray for her health and freedom, a party member said.The birthday celebration was watched by more than 100 plainclothes security officers who videotaped the event from across the street.A dozen trucks filled with members of the Union Solidarity and Development Association – the official name of the junta’s political wing – sat nearby.The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was put under house arrest after a pro-government mob in May 2003 attacked her entourage as she was making a political tour of northern Myanmar.It was the third time she has been confined to her residence for an extended period by the military since 1989.Her party Vice Chairman Tin Oo has also been detained since then.The military took power in 1988 after crushing vast pro-democracy demonstrations in Myanmar, then known as Burma.When Suu Kyi’s party won a general election by a landslide on May 27 1990, junta leaders refused to hand over power, insisting the country first needed a new constitution.”In our view, until their constitution is ratified, she will not be released,” said Sann Aung, a Bangkok-based leader of the government-in-exile set up after the junta ignored the 1990 election results.”They are worried that she will be a threat to the National Convention and the referendum,” he said, referring to the junta’s constitution-drafting body which reconvenes for its last session in July.The generals have promised a referendum on the new constitution and eventual elections, but refused to set a timetable.Critics call it a sham aimed at entrenching military control over Myanmar’s 54 million people.Sanctions imposed by the West have had little effect on the military, which has ruled Myanmar in various guises since 1962.But neither has the soft diplomacy employed by Myanmar’s partners in the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), which has been embarrassed by the junta’s intransigence.”Today, Burma is the black sheep of Asean,” Thailand’s Nation newspaper said in an editorial.”As long as Aung San Suu Kyi remains incarcerated, Aean’s reputation and the group’s international standing will be tarnished.”Nampa-AP-Reuters