Myanmar's military junta extended the detention of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday, ignoring worldwide appeals to free the Nobel laureate who has been detained for more than 12 of the past 18 years, an official said.
The duration of the extension was not immediately known, the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. In the past, the junta has renewed her detention for six-month or one-year periods.
Aung San Suu Kyi was informed of her continued imprisonment by officials from the Home Ministry, who entered her home prior to the announcement, the official said.
Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest since May 2003, has long been the symbol of the regime’s brutality and the focus of a worldwide campaign that has lobbied for her release.
The extension was issued despite a law that stipulates no one can be held longer than five years without being released or put on trial.
Earlier yesterday, police hauled away about 20 opposition party members who were protesting Aung San Suu Kyi ‘s detention. Witnesses saw riot police shove members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) into a truck as they were marching from the party’s headquarters to her home.
Some of the detainees wore Aung San Suu Kyi T-shirts and others the party uniform, a peach-colored jacket, sarong and cone-shaped hat. Thrown into the truck, two members seated by windows unfurled a 60cm poster of their leader before being ordered to roll it back up.
Aung San Suu Kyi ‘s house arrest — which has been renewed annually — was believed to expire at midnight last night, said Nyan Win, spokesman for the NLD.
With the regime saying nothing, there had been uncertainly about the exact expiration.
The decision comes at a delicate time for the junta. It already is facing international condemnation for the way it failed the Cyclone Nargis relief effort.
But few expected Aung San Suu Kyi to be released, despite urging by both the UN and some ASEAN members.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda yesterday called for her release, saying it would be a way of thanking the international community for its generosity after the cyclone, which killed at least 78,000 people and left another 56,000 missing.
“I hope for the best, but to be frank I’m not optimistic,” he said.
About 20 plain clothes police officers stood guard outside Aung San Suu Kyi’s lakeside house, while six truckloads of riot police were on guard near the NLD headquarters.
About 200 members attended a ceremony inside the headquarters to mark the 18th anniversary of the party’s landslide victory in 1990 elections, which the junta has never honored.
At the ceremony, the party called for the immediate and unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi and NLD Vice Chairman Tin Oo.
A statement also condemned and rejected the recent referendum that approved a constitution that would ensure the military a major role in future governments.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS