Suu Kyi release ‘meaningless’ without democracy: group

Aung San Suu Kyi’s release is “virtually meaningless” unless Myanmar’s military junta engages in a dialogue resulting in a restoration of democracy, an advocacy group that represents the opposition leader said yesterday.

Freedom Now, a US-based legal advocacy group that serves as Suu Kyi’s international counsel, welcomed the Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s release from house arrest yesterday.

“Unfortunately her release alone is virtually meaningless until the junta enters into an irreversible process of dialogue resulting in national reconciliation between the junta, the National League for Democracy, and ethnic groups and a restoration of democracy to Burma,” the group’s president Jared Genser said.

Genser pointed out in a statement that Suu Kyi has been released from house arrest three times before “and nothing fundamentally changed in the country.”

Suu Kyi has been detained for 15 of the last 21 years, with her most recent stretch beginning May 30, 2003.

The regime released her this time after holding elections that have been widely denounced as a sham.

The National League for Democracy and its allies won the country’s last, and only democratic election, in 1990 by a huge margin, but it was never recognised by the junta.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday called on the government of Myanmar to make sure Aung San Suu Kyi’s release is without conditions, and to free all political prisoners.

“The United States calls on Burma’s leaders to ensure that Aung San Suu Kyi’s release is unconditional so that she may travel, associate with her fellow citizens, express her views, and participate in political activities without restriction,” Clinton said in a statement.

“They should also immediately and unconditionally release all of Burma’s 2,100 political prisoners,” she added.

US officials refer to Myanmar by its previous name Burma.