No relief in sight

Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi turned 50 yesterday, while still under detention by the ruling military junta in Burma.

It will have been six years on July 19 that she has been held under house arrest by the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC).

The pro-democracy leader's struggle has indeed been a very brave one.

In the face of repression, and being denied any emotional comforts of being together with her family, she still has managed to stand her ground and hold firm to her convictions.

Her imminent release, however, seems bleak and this was confirmed recently by U.S. Congressman Bill Richardson, who returned from Rangoon in a bid to visit the Nobel laureate.

Speaking at a press conference in Bangkok, Richardson said he was denied access to Suu Kyi or any other political prisoner during his visit.

The Democrat also said he did not believe the National League for Democracy leader would be released on July 19, the day that marks her sixth year under house arrest, which is the maximum length of time under SLORC law.

Richardson quoted the Burmese junta as saying that Suu Kyi was surrounded by communist elements and that she had been forgotten by her own people and, therefore, should not be released -- excuses which Richardson said were very weak.

The sad thing is that the international community has not accorded Aung San Suu Kyi's struggle the same status as that of Nelson Mandela in his fight against apartheid in South Africa.

Mandela's incarceration triggered off global economic sanctions against South Africa's white regime, and led to an international uproar against the human rights abuses occurring there.

The overriding question is why hasn't there been a similar outcry against SLORC's brutalities?

Is it because Suu Kyi is an Asian woman? Is it because the economic stakes are too high for sanctions to be imposed against the Burmese junta?

The questions are there, but the answers are not forthcoming.

The beacon of hope for Burma's struggle for freedom is Aung San Suu Kyi and all democracy-loving people have a moral duty to ensure that she is never forgotten.

-- The Nation, Bangkok