Myanmar sends vague message over Suu Kyi
Myanmar sends vague message over Suu Kyi
The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali
Myanmar, in a clearly face-saving tactic to appease the other
nine members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN), sent a vague message over the detention status of
Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.
During the ASEAN foreign ministerial meeting here on Sunday,
Myanmarese foreign minister U Win Aung told his counterparts that
his government was no longer holding Suu Kyi, the daughter of
Myanmar's founding father Aung San, under house arrest --
although she was staying home after her release from hospital
last month.
"The Myanmar government said ... Aung San Suu Kyi ... has been
allowed to go home after being discharged from hospital,"
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said after presiding
over the meeting.
"The Myanmar government did not categorize the stay of Madame
Suu Kyi at her house as house arrest or detention," he said.
Hassan said the ASEAN ministers considered the frankness of
Win Aung in discussing the situation in his country as a positive
action.
"The issue is not on the agenda of the meeting, but as a
family, we are discussing the problem with the Myanmar government
and we will prepare a strategy to explain the situation to the
dialog partner countries," he underlined.
The Myanmar issue is major test for the solidarity among ASEAN
member countries and the commitment of the regional grouping in
the region's democratization.
After attending the ASEAN annual meeting in Phnom Penh last
year, Win Aung had warned the international community not to
pressure his country too hard, because a country that was used to
being isolated from the world could simply isolate itself again.
An Indonesian minister acknowledged that Myanmar could no longer
be pressured further, because the junta was ready to face the
worst sanction from international community.
ASEAN has been trying to apply silent diplomacy in persuading
Myanmar to release the opposition leader before the coming ASEAN
summit on Tuesday.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri had earlier stated that
Indonesia would like to see a definite timeframe for the release
of Suu Kyi and the ongoing democratization process in that
country.
Meanwhile, Singapore Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar said the
Myanmar issue would not affect the meeting, as there were more
pressing items on the agenda.
"We have more important issues at this Summit, and Myanmar
will not overshadow the Summit," he said before the meeting.
ASEAN leaders will commence their two-day summit on Tuesday,
inclusive of dialog partners China, Japan, South Korea and India.