Suu Kyi won't accept conditional release

The Straits Times, Nov 10, 2010

<< Myanmar's democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi will not accept conditions on her freedom if the military government release her. -- PHOTO: AFP

YANGON - MYANMAR'S democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, will not accept conditions on her freedom if the military government releases her this week when her latest period of detention is due to end, her lawyer said on Wednesday.

The charismatic and influential figurehead of Myanmar's fight for democracy could still be a potent threat to the ruling military but it stands to gain diplomatically by freeing her.

Ms Suu Kyi voiced opposition to Myanmar's first election in 20 years, held last Sunday and easily won, as expected, by a party set up by the military. She has called on her loyalists to expose electoral fraud, her lawyer, Nyan Win, said.

Myanmar's neighbours and partners in the Association of South East Asian (Asean) had urged it to make the election 'fair and inclusive' and to release Ms Suu Kyi and more than 2,000 other political prisoners before the vote.

While that did not happen, there is speculation she might be freed from house arrest on Saturday, when a sentence imposed last year for the violation of a security law is due to end.

'Aung San Suu Kyi must be released on or before November 13 because it is the day when the house arrest on her expires,'lawyer Nyan Win, who is also a spokesman for Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), told Reuters. 'The release must also be unconditional because she will not accept a limited release. As we all know, she never accepted limited freedom in the past,' he said. -- REUTERS