Aung San Suu Kyi Appeal Rejection Shows No Change In Burma

The Burma Campaign UK today called on the United Nations Secretary General to stop issuing statements of concern and start taking action about the situation in Burma. The rejection of Aung San Suu Kyi’s appeal against her detention is just the latest in a series of strong actions the dictatorship has taken which demonstrate that there is no genuine reform on the way.

“The United Nations and some European countries seems to have been seduced by the mood music from the generals that change is on the way because of so-called elections later this year,” said Anna Roberts, Executive Director of Burma Campaign UK. “However, the generals’ actions tell a different story. The continuing detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and more than 2,100 political prisoners, the mortar bombing of a school in Karen state last week, new military offensives against ethnic people in Eastern Burma, these are not the actions of a reforming regime. It is time the UN stopped dithering in the desperate and deluded hope that the fake elections will bring change, and instead renewed efforts to enforce Security Council and General Assembly demands for dialogue between the generals, the National League for Democracy, and genuine ethnic representatives.”

Aung San Suu Kyi had appealed against her latest detention, following a sham trial after an American man entered her home without her permission. She has now spent more than 14 years in detention. Her current period of detention began in May 2003 after a convoy she was travelling in was ambushed by a regime militia. She escaped with her life but dozens of her supporters were killed. She is due to be released from house arrest in November this year, a month after fake elections being planned by Burma’s generals.

For more information contact Anna Roberts on 020 7324 4710

Related news

• One Year On From Suu Kyi Release – Most Political Prisoners Still In Jail
• Burma Regime’s Threats to Suu Kyi a Sign of Ban’s Failure
• Aung San Suu Kyi Reith Lectures
• Aung San Suu Kyi 66th Birthday - New Briefing - Ban Ki-moon Must Act
• Brighton Festival 2011 celebrates liberty with Guest Director Aung San Suu Kyi
• 16 Burma pro-democracy and ethnic organizations welcomed the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
• Aung San Suu Kyi - Statement from Gordon Brown
• Aung San Suu Kyi Released – 1 Down, 2,202 To Go
• Aung San Suu Kyi Reaches 15 Years in Detention
• Aung San Suu Kyi Release? We’ll Believe It When We See It