88 Generation Students (Exile): Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi refuses to take stand on trial

Monday, May 18, 2009

Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi refuses to take stand on trial

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Rangoon - Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday refused to take the stand in a prison court that has accused her of breaking her detention terms by allowing a US national to swim to her home-cum-prison this month, sources said.
The first day of the trial, held amid tight security at a special court at Insein Prison, adjourned at 1:45 pm after hearing the testimony of one witness, officials said. It will resume on Tuesday at 10:30 am

The Nobel laureate reportedly refused at first to enter the court room or to acknowledge her case when the court abbreviated her name to Suu Kyi, leaving out the Aung San which is the name of her famous father, an independence hero.

"If you cannot call me by my right name, I will not move," she reportedly told the court. Court officials then relented, using her full name, and she entered the court room.

Suu Kyi's lawyer Kyi Win asked that the trial be open to the public, but his request was rejected.

The defendants in the case include Suu Kyi; her two house helpers, Khin Khin Win and Win Ma Ma; and American John William Yettaw. US diplomats were allowed to attend the trial but journalists and the public were not admitted to the jail which was under tight security.

Roads leading to Insein were blocked to traffic and the public Monday morning by barbed-wire barriers to prevent public protests against the trial, which could result in another five-year jail sentence for Suu Kyi, who has spent 13 of the past 19 years in detention.

More than 100 members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), the opposition party led by Suu Kyi, gathered outside the prison in a show of support for their leader.

*****************US praises Thai stance on Suu Kyi********************************

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton supported Thailand's stance on Burma calling for the end of Aung San Suu Kyi's detention, a Foreign Ministry's spokesman said Monday.

Clinton phoned Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya on Saturday to praise Thai reaction over the Burmese junta's move to try the opposition leader, said Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to the minister.

However, Thailand would not take any tough action to pressure the junta for Suu Kyi's freedom, he said.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

"I am disappointed by the unwillingness of the government of Burma to deliver on its promises for democratic dialogue and the release of political prisoners."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"I would like to make an appeal to President Bush: Please take pride as a President who has worked hard for Burma to achieve something before his term expires.”

-U Gambira, a leader of the All-Burma Monks’ Alliance that spearheaded nationwide protests in Burma in September---

—

U WIN TIN

Because we refuse to bow to these unjust election 'laws,' our party will be abolished by the regime soon. Still, the NLD will not disappear. We will be among the people, with the people. We will continue to fight for democracy, human rights and equality among all ethnic nationalities, by peaceful means. —

Win Tin, a member of NLD Central Executive Committee

From Stalin to Burma, a history lesson

They may wear different cloaks, but under the surface all dictators are similar. As the memory of dictators like Joseph Stalin fades, mistakes of the past repeat themselves with a vengeance in forgotten places like Burma.One writer said of Stalin: “He had found Russia working with wooden ploughs and left it equipped with atomic [stock]piles.” But perhaps the true question doesn’t regard Stalin’s undisputable impact on humanity, but whether the legacy justified all the human sacrifice. To Stalin, the millions killed as a consequence of his ambitious drive were simply stepping stones along the road to national prosperity. However, such a Machiavellian frame of mind can neither be justifiable nor ethical.Stalin utilized numerous harsh methods in attempting to meet his ‘utopian’ goals. Collective farms were prevalent, while each Five Year Plan sought to leapfrog Russia ahead of competing nations and systems. Toward this end, virtually every industry fell under the direct control of the government and its de facto and shackled workforce. And the sad truth, more often than not, was results never met by an increasingly impoverished population.Stalin’s principle instrument for maintaining control over his country was his secret police. Through this institution, fear was instilled in the hearts of the people. The final death toll from Stalin’s regime is indeed staggering, with estimates ranging from 10 to 20 million people having perished.Stalin was under the belief that all his actions, extreme or otherwise, were necessary in order to pull Russia into the industrial age. Yet, ultimately, the major flaw in Stalin’s reasoning was that he claimed all sacrifices were necessary and for the future of Russia. “Life has improved, comrades. Life has become more joyous,” he once remarked. And while he was thinking about the future of the country and the generations to come, the standard of living within Russia had plummeted.Today, forgetting that dictatorship is a self inflicted wound, some intellectuals and humanitarians reason that simply sending more aid and increasing engagement are starting points to improving the political situation in Burma. But when they begin to regard the active opposition, as symbolized by Aung San Suu Kyi, as increasingly irrelevant, the time has come to refresh their memory about Joseph Stalin and the enormous price of dictatorship. It is one thing to want to bring Burma into the international community, but it is another to coddle and nurture tyrants without speaking out against their inhumane acts.So far, newly elected U.S. President Barack Obama and Foreign Secretary Hillary Clinton have taken a cautious and slow approach toward Burma. But in a world of competing interests and ideology, it will be a great tragedy if they fail to take a firm stand against the dictators in Burma.After all, the United States and its allies helped reform the militaries in Indonesia and Turkey within democratic transitions and transformations. Now, the U.S., United Nations, ASEAN and the European Union need decisive and effective leadership to help Burma. Obama and Clinton have a great chance to seize this mantle…if they are willing to seriously take on the leadership role.Today, even as Burma’s generals tragically act more and more like Stalin, could it not be that the army as an institution in Burma was originally inspired by similar beliefs to those of countries such as Indonesia and Turkey? This should offer an important clue as to where to begin with Burma.

88 Generation Students (Exile)

Monday, May 18, 2009

Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi refuses to take stand on trial

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