Burma refuses to release Suu Kyi
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.International calls for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader who has been held incommunicado by the Burmese junta since Friday, have gone unheeded.
Khin Maung Wing, Burma's Deputy Foreign Minister, denied rumours that Ms Suu Kyi had suffered a head injury during a riot in northern Burma in which at least four people died. He told diplomats that "she was not hurt at all", and added that the 1991 Nobel peace laureate was being kept "temporarily" in a secure place. The minister said the closure of universities and colleges was unrelated to Ms Suu Kyi's arrest, although analysts disagree.
Diplomatic sources said Ms Suu Kyi was being detained at a government guesthouse in Rangoon. Leaders of her National League for Democracy are also in custody. Because Ms Suu Kyi was not put under house arrest at her lakeside home in the capital, some supporters fear she might be badly hurt.
Unconfirmed reports circulating in the Burmese exile community in Thailand claimed her car was fired on, and that as many as 70 people died in clashes last Friday. The government denied this.
President George Bush said Ms Suu Kyi should be released immediately. "We have urged Burmese officials to release all political prisoners and to offer their people a better way of life," he said.
Kofi Annan, the United Nations secretary general, called for Ms Suu Kyi to be freed and allowed to play a role in the country's stalled reconciliation process. The junta is likely to bar Razali Ismail, a UN envoy, from seeing the dissident leader when he arrives in Rangoon on Friday. Mr Ismail helped instigate a secret dialogue with the military that resulted in Ms Suu Kyi's release from house arrest in May last year.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments