Today, the 19th of June, is the birthday of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The Burmese military regime, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), has put her under house arrest repeatedly since her involvement with the democracy movement, and made her pass her birthday alone under detention until today.
The SPDC has continued to extend her detention despite the constant calls for her release by political groups inside and outside Burma and by the international community. Since the Depayin massacre, SPDC has been using its state-controlled “people’s organization,” the United Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), to unlawfully harass, intimidate and attack those who are advocating peacefully for political reform inside Burma. As a result of the impunity granted by SPDC, there are now more and more attacks and harassment by the USDA and its cronies.
In the past few months, the SPDC authorities have arrested human rights defender Su Su Nwe and detained Phyu Phyu Thin, who had come back from a prayer ceremony calling for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.
Only last week, on the 12th of June, three men on motorbikes attacked 5 women members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) with slingshots and injured them badly. This incident occurred right in front of a local policeman.
SPDC authorities are ignoring these public criminal acts by its cronies and letting them commit attacks and harassment with impunity. SPDC is thereby fuelling divisions between the people of Burma, and directly eroding national unity and derailing the process of national reconciliation. They must therefore bear full responsibility for the current climate of instability, which may degenerate into anarchy in Burma.
Under these circumstances, WLB is deeply concerned about the health and safety of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been isolated by SPDC from the outside world.
On the occasion of her 62nd birthday, we reiterate our call for the immediate release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Khun Htun Oo and other political prisoners, and for the initiation of the process of tripartite dialogue for genuine peace and democracy in Burma.
Media contact:
Dwelling Joint - General Secretary 2 + 66 89 4348976