Myanmar junta permits reopening of Suu Kyi's party HQ
Myanmar junta permits reopening of Suu Kyi's party HQ
Aye Aye Win
Associated Press
Yangon
Myanmar's military government reopened the headquarters of Aung
San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party on Saturday, almost a year
after shutting all of the party's offices and arresting its top
leaders, party officials said.
It was unclear whether the step indicates the ruling junta is
preparing to release Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who
remains under house arrest.
The decision comes a month before the government is to convene
a convention to draft a new constitution, part of its stated plan
to move the country toward democracy.
Three government officials broke open the wax seal on a lock
on the National League for Democracy party's office near the
Shwedagon Pagoda in the capital, Yangon, said Maung Maung Yin, an
NLD official.
The party, which has spearheaded the democracy movement in the
Southeast Asian country for the last 16 years, welcomed the move
but called for Suu Kyi's release.
"It's good that the office is reopened. We now have a place to
meet. We are hoping for more good things to happen like the
release of political prisoners," Nyunt Wei, the party's national
treasurer, told The Associated Press.
The government appeared to be bowing to intense international
pressure to ease restrictions against democracy proponents. But
critics say such concessions are aimed at deflecting criticism
rather than granting greater freedom.
Maung Maung Yin said the three officials came to his house in
the morning and asked him to accompany them while they broke open
the seal at the dilapidated two-story building.
He said the government officials told him they would not go
inside the premises. "They said, 'it is open now,"' Maung Maung
Yin said.
Later Saturday, party members gathered to clean up the
headquarters and sweep away fallen leaves from around the
building.
The junta plans to convene a constitutional convention on May
17, part of its seven-point "roadmap" toward democracy in the
country, which has been under military rule since 1962.
Last week, the junta freed two other top NLD leaders -- party
Chairman Aung Shwe and Secretary U Lwin -- so they can attend the
convention. But the NLD said it cannot decide whether to
participate until Suu Kyi and party Vice Chairman Tin Oo are also
released.
On Saturday, U Lwin told reporters he had not been informed
about the reopening beforehand and demanded that the ruling junta
also reopen NLD branch offices countrywide.