CSW calls on UN and ASEAN to send envoys

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) today called on the United Nations (UN) and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to send envoys to Burma as a matter of urgency, to secure the release of Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, currently held in Insein Prison.

Burma’s democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was moved from her home, where she has spent 13 years under house arrest, to the infamous Insein Prison earlier today, and put on trial for breaking the terms of her house arrest. She was charged after an American, John Yettaw, reportedly swam across Inya Lake to her house, and refused to leave.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s current period of house arrest expires later this month, and the UN has already ruled that her detention violates both international and Burmese law. Last week she was denied medical treatment despite being in ill health, and her personal doctor was arrested.

Mervyn Thomas, CSW’s Chief Executive, said: “The treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi by the Burmese military dictatorship is inhumane. The charges made today are outrageous. She cannot be held responsible for the actions of the uninvited American intruder, especially as reports indicate that although she pleaded with him to leave, he insisted on staying. It is essential that the UN and ASEAN, and key members of the international community such as China and India, act immediately to secure her release and safety, and the release of all her associates. She has committed no crime whatsoever, her detention violates international law, and the regime must not be given any excuse to continue to hold her captive.”