RI hopes to see Suu Kyi freed in October

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

Indonesia stepped up the pressure on the Myanmar government to release pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday, dropping a hint that the Nobel laureate could be freed before the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) summit in October.

Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said on Wednesday he fully believed that Myanmar was aware of the demands from the international community for Suu Kyi's release.

"We hope Myanmar will release Aung San Suu Kyi before the United Nations General Assembly and the ASEAN summit, and I believe that Myanmar is also sensitive in that regard," Hassan said on the sidelines of the Asia Africa Sub-Regional Organization Conference (AASROC), which ended on Wednesday.

The 58th General Assembly session opens on Sept. 16, and ASEAN leaders will meet on Bali island from Oct. 7 to Oct. 8.

Hassan indicated he had a solid reason for disclosing the time frame, saying that during his discussions with his Myanmar counterpart U Win Aung, it was apparent that Yangon understood the possible backlash should Suu Kyi be kept in custody.

The detention of Suu Kyi since May 30 has become a major test case for the solidarity of ASEAN, and also the leadership of Indonesia, as some of organization's founders, like Malaysia and Thailand, seem to be very impatient with Myanmar.

Major countries, including the United States and Japan, have threatened to impose economic sanctions on the impoverished country if it fails to free Suu Kyi immediately.

There is little doubt that the neighboring ASEAN countries will be among the first to suffer if the security situation worsens in Myanmar.

Indonesia, as the chair of ASEAN, has been trying to bridge the gap between Myanmar and the rest of the world regarding the detention of Suu Kyi.

Win Aung met with President Megawati Soekarnoputri in Jakarta on Monday en route to the AASROC meeting.

When asked to comment on Hassan's statement, Win Aung looked surprised, saying that not once had his government set a specific time frame for the release of the opposition leader.

"What I told him (Hassan) is the same as what I told you, we have no intention of prolonging (the detention). That's all," he said while on his way to the conference plenary session.

ASEAN had earlier proposed the sending of a delegation of senior officials to Myanmar to facilitate the release of Suu Kyi and push for democratization in that country.

Indonesia also plans to send special envoy Ali Alatas to meet Gen. Than Swee and convey a personal message from President Megawati regarding the situation in Myanmar.

Hassan said that the two plans remained on the table as the ASEAN member countries continued to wait for Myanmar's response to the proposals.

Hassan said that ASEAN had no desire to harm Myanmar nor to interfere with its domestic problems.

"We will be very happy if they (Myanmar) could do this on their own, but we all know that there is a gap in perceptions. That's why we need to engage in quiet diplomacy with them," the Indonesian minister said.

On Tuesday, Win Aung told Reuters that Myanmar's ruling generals wanted to resolve the impasse themselves, although he would not say whether he rejected the mediation offers outright.

Human rights group Amnesty International failed on Wednesday to deliver a petition calling for the release of detained pro- democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to the Myanmar Embassy here, an AFP correspondent at the scene reported.

The gates of the mission remained firmly closed as a group of around 30 people, including 20 Myanmar refugees, gathered outside hoping to hand in a petition seeking the immediate release of Suu Kyi and other members of her National League for Democracy (NLD).

"We have gathered about 23,000 signatures of support and we want to present them now to the Myanmar officials at the embassy to protest against the attacks of May 30," said Amnesty International Japan campaigner Sonoko Kawakami.

Red Cross officials, allowed to meet Suu Kyi for the first time since her detention two months ago, said on Tuesday she was in good health and high spirits.

Myanmar's military has ruled the country since a 1962 coup, and has persistently ignored a 1990 election victory by the NLD.