BurmaNet News, August 11, 2009

[Editor]

August 11, 2009 Issue #3773


QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The charges were baseless, the verdict outrageous. So the international
community must respond to this latest injustice with a clear message to
the junta that its tyrannical actions will no longer be tolerated
. And
determined action in the United Nations Security Council must follow.
Nothing less than a worldwide ban on the sale of arms to the regime will
do as a first step." – Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

INSIDE BURMA
BBC News: Burma court finds Suu Kyi guilty
DVB: Junta claim ‘sympathy’ for Suu Kyi
Irrawaddy: 50 briefly detained during Suu Kyi trial

ASEAN
AFP: ASEAN meeting on Suu Kyi verdict pushed

REGIONAL
Reuters: India says Myanmar must expedite political reform
DPA: Singapore government laments guilty verdict for Suu Kyi
DPA: Philippine government deplores Suu Kyi's guilty verdict

INTERNATIONAL
New York Times: Myanmar sentence draws international criticism
AFP: UN Head demands release of Myanmar activist Aung San Suu Kyi

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: Than Shwe’s ‘mercy’ is meaningless – Kyaw Zwa Moe

PRESS RELEASE
European Parliamentary Caucus on Burma: EPCB condemns sentencing of Aung
San Suu Kyi and calls for UNSC Arms Embargo
FIDH, BLC, Altsean-Burma: An unfair sentence, a dark future for the country
Nobel Women’s Initiative: Nobel Laureates call for action on Burma: A UN
Security Council Commission of Inquiry
Avaaz.org: Guilty: Aung San Suu Kyi or the Burmese regime?
Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland): Minister for Foreign Affairs
condemns the conviction of Aung San Suu Kyi

STATEMENT
EU: Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the
verdict against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
Office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom: PM statement on Aung
San Suu Kyi



____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

August 11, BBC News
Burma court finds Suu Kyi guilty

Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been sentenced to 18
months of house arrest, after a court found her guilty of violating
security laws.

Ms Suu Kyi, a 64-year-old Nobel peace laureate, was on trial for allowing
a US national into her lakeside home after he swam there.

Critics of Burma's military regime say the verdict is designed to prevent
her from taking part in elections in 2010.

Ms Suu Kyi has spent nearly 14 of the past 20 years in detention.

Her American visitor, John Yettaw, was jailed for seven years including
four years of hard labour.

Ms Suu Kyi was taken straight back to her home after the end of the trial,
officials said.

She had always denied the charge but said she expected to be convicted.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "saddened and angry" by the
verdict and described the trial as a "sham".

In a strongly-worded statement, Mr Brown said it was "a purely political
sentence".

A statement from the office of Nicolas Sarkozy said the French president
was calling on the European Union to impose new sanctions on Burma.

The EU presidency said it would impose "additional targeted measures
against those responsible for the verdict".

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Aung San Suu Kyi should not
have been convicted, and she also called for the release of American
citizen John Yettaw.

"We are concerned about the harsh sentence imposed on him, especially in
light of his medical condition," she told reporters.

Mr Yettaw is believed to have epilepsy, diabetes and post-traumatic stress
disorder, and has been treated at a Rangoon hospital.

Myint Myint Aye, of Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party
- the country's main opposition, said the party did not accept the
verdict, adding: "We demand her immediate unconditional release and we
will keep on pressing."

Tight security

Journalists had unexpectedly been allowed to enter the court in Rangoon's
Insein prison shortly before the sentence was announced.

The courtroom was initially told that Ms Suu Kyi was sentenced to three
years in prison with hard labour.

But after a five-minute recess, Burma's home minister entered the
courtroom and read out a special order from the country's military ruler
Than Shwe that reduced the sentence to 18 months and said it could be
served under house arrest.

Than Shwe said he reduced the sentence to "maintain peace and
tranquillity" and because Ms Suu Kyi was the daughter of Aung San, a
national hero who helped to win Burma's independence from Britain.

Ms Suu Kyi looked alert but tired during the 90-minute court appearance.
She stood as the verdict was read out and then thanked foreign diplomats
for attending.

"I hope we can all work for peace and prosperity of the country," she said
quietly to diplomats seated nearby. She then was led out of the courtroom.

There was tight security around the prison, with security forces sealing
off the area.

The trial has brought international condemnation, and many analysts say
the main reason it was held was to give Burma's military government an
excuse to keep Ms Suu Kyi out of next year's planned multi-party
elections.

Her previous period of house arrest expired on 27 May, and this new term
will mean she is still in detention during the polls, which are expected
to happen in about May 2010.

The NLD won the last elections in 1990 but was never allowed to take power.

Mr Yettaw, 54, swam to Ms Suu Kyi's lakeside house in Rangoon uninvited
and stayed there for two nights in May.

As a result, Ms Suu Kyi was accused of breaching the terms of her house
arrest and faced up to five years in prison.

Ms Suu Kyi's two female house companions were also arrested with her. At
the trial they also received the commuted sentence of 18 months house
arrest.

Mr Yettaw, of Falcon, Missouri, was sentenced to three years in prison for
breaching Ms Suu Kyi's house arrest, three years with hard labour for an
immigration offence and another one-year term with hard labour for
swimming in a restricted zone.

It was not clear if the prison terms would be served concurrently.

Reports say he was discharged from hospital on Monday night after a week
of treatment for epileptic seizures.

But according to the editor of the BBC's Burmese Service, Tin Htar Swe,
the regime has no real reason to keep him so his sentence may well be
commuted at a later date.

____________________________________

August 11, Democratic Voice of Burma
Junta claim ‘sympathy’ for Suu Kyi – Naw Say Phaw and Francis Wade

Burma’s ruling junta have said that the commutation of Aung San Suu Kyi’s
sentence was due to them “feeling sorry” about the trial and seeking to
carry out justice “fairly and righteously”, according to a courtroom
source.

Following a dramatic five-minute wait after the initial three-year
sentence with hard labour was handed to Suu Kyi today, Burma’s home
affairs minister entered the courtroom with an order signed by junta
leader Than Shwe commuting it to 18 months under house arrest.

According to a source who was at the courtroom when the verdict was given
this morning, the statement cited “sympathy” for Suu Kyi.

“[The statement] said the chairman
has decided to grant her a pardon as
she is the daughter of Burma’s independence founder General Aung San,
[and] the government looks for peace and tranquillity of the nation,” he
said.

He added that it was also done to show there is “no grudge” held against
Suu Kyi, and to demonstrate that the government is concerned about moving
towards democratic transition.

Following the verdict announcement, the European Union said it would
tighten sanctions on the Burmese regime, while France and Britain called
for global arms and economic embargoes.

Sweden said that the EU would "further reinforce its restrictive measures
targeting the regime of Burma/Myanmar, including its economic interests",
according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, French president Nicholas Sarkozy called for further targeted
sanctions “which should particularly target the resources that it profits
directly from -- wood and ruby mining."

Suu Kyi will now return to her compound where she has been held under
house arrest for nearly 14 of the last 20 years. She will be accompanied
by her two caretakers, Khin Khin Win and Win Ma Ma, who also had
three-year sentences commuted to 18 months.

US citizen John Yettaw, whose intrusion on her compound triggered the
charges, was given seven years with hard labour on three separate charges,
including an Immigration act and a Rangoon Municipal Act, and for making
Suu Kyi breach conditions of her house arrest.

Although Suu Kyi’s is well short of the maximum five-year prison term the
courtroom was threatening, the commuted sentence will still keep her in
detention beyond the 2010 elections, scheduled for March next years.

The trial was widely seen as a ploy to bar her from involvement in the
elections, and today British prime minister Gordon Brown labelled it a
“sham trial” and a “political sentence”.

____________________________________

August 11, Irrawaddy
50 briefly detained during Suu Kyi trial – Lawi Weng

At least 50 persons were arrested outside Insein Prison after the verdict
from Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial was announced on Tuesday afternoon. However,
they were released outside the headquarters of the National League for
Democracy (NLD) in central Rangoon soon after, according to NLD sources in
the former Burmese capital.

A combined force of riot police, security forces and Swan Ah Shin militia
detained the persons, who were reportedly mostly NLD supporters and
well-wishers of Suu Kyi, and took them away in police trucks after the
verdict was announced at 11:50 a.m.

The police trucks drove those detained to the NLD’s Rangoon headquarters
at Shwe Gone Dine, near Shwedagon Pagoda, and released them with a warning
not to go back onto the streets, said some NLD members who were arrested.

 A member of the NLD in Rangoon, who was also waiting in front of Insein
Prison, said, “The security forces were worried the crowd would grow and
it would turn into an uprising. That’s why they arrested those 50
people.”

Ten members of the NLD in Magwe and Pegu divisions were also arrested,
according to sources within the NLD.

Five NLD members in Yenangyaung in Magway Division were arrested in their
houses while preparing to go to a pagoda to pray for Suu Kyi.

In Pegu Division, five party members were arrested while praying for Suu
Kyi at a pagoda.

Security was tightened around Insein Prison on Tuesday as crowds gathered
for the verdict of Suu Kyi, her two companions Win Ma Ma and Khin Khin
Win, and American intruder John W Yettaw.

Barbed wire roadblocks were set up, and armed riot police took up
positions near the prison. Sources said trucks carrying riot police have
been deployed around the prison and that more police trucks are patrolling
the surrounding area.

Suu Kyi was handed down an 18-month suspended sentence to be served under
house arrest while Yettaw received seven years for breaking immigration
and security laws.
Suu Kyi has been detained for nearly 14 of the last 20 years, mostly under
house arrest.

Meanwhile, a prominent Burmese labor rights activist, Su Su Nway, was
transferred from Kalay Prison to Hkamti Prison in Sagaing Division on
August 6, according to her sister, Htay Htay Kyi.

“I found out that she was transferred to Hkamti on Thursday. I asked the
authorities at the prison why they transferred her. They responded that
they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter,” Htay Htay Kyi said.

Su Su Nway was originally sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison for
political activities.

Another NLD member, Kyaw Khaing, 87, who suffers from digestion
difficulties, was transferred from Thandwe Prison in Arakan State to
Thayet Prison. He was originally sentenced for two years for
anti-government activities.

Two more members of the NLD in Rangoon were sentenced recently to two
years in Insein Prison for protesting during Suu Kyi’s trial.

____________________________________
ASEAN

August 11, Agence France-Presse
ASEAN meeting on Suu Kyi verdict pushed

The country’s foreign minister Tuesday pressed for an "urgent meeting"
among his ASEAN counterparts after the Myanmar junta ordered Aung San Suu
Kyi to stay under house arrest for 18 months.

"I think there is a need for ASEAN foreign ministers to have an urgent
meeting to discuss this issue, which is of grave concern," Foreign
Minister Anifah Aman told AFP.

"With this sentence there is no possibility for Aung San Suu Kyi to
participate in the general election next year which should be free, fair
and inclusive," he added.

In London, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "saddened and
angry" at the verdict Tuesday in Aung San’s "sham trial.”

He called for the United Nations Security Council to impose a worldwide
ban on the sale of arms to the Myanmar junta.

Brown said her "monstrous" prosecution, designed to stop her from
participating in next year's planned elections, meant the poll would have
no legitimacy.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

August 11, Reuters
India says Myanmar must expedite political reform

India called for political reforms in army-ruled Myanmar on Tuesday after
a court sentenced opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to 18 months in
detention, a verdict that has drawn widespread condemnation.

India is one of the few countries that has trade ties with Myanmar,
helping provide the ruling junta with an economic lifeline, alongwith
China and Thailand.

The Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement it had seen reports of the
sentencing of Suu Kyi after an American man breached the terms of her
house arrest by swimming uninvited to her lakeside home in May.

"India has emphasised to the Government of Myanmar the need to expedite
their political reform and national reconciliation process, and have noted
the various steps taken so far," the Foreign Ministry said.

"We have maintained that this process should be broad based, including the
various ethnic groups. In this context, the issue of release of political
prisoners will no doubt receive due attention," the note said.

India, analysts say, is following a policy of engagement with Myanmar,
partly driven by concern over the neighbour's ties with China.

(Reporting by Rina Chandran; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

____________________________________

August 11, Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Singapore government laments guilty verdict for Suu Kyi

Singapore lamented the guilty verdict for Myanmar opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi Tuesday, saying it hoped the military junta would allow her to
participate in politics soon. "We are disappointed to learn that Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi was found guilty," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

A Myanmar court on Tuesday found Suu Kyi guilty of breaking the terms of
her house arrest by allowing a US national to swim into her lakeside
compound in May.

She was sentenced to three years in prison, but the junta commuted the
sentence to 18 months of house arrest.

____________________________________

August 11, Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Philippine government deplores Suu Kyi's guilty verdict

The Philippine government on Tuesday deplored a new 18-month house-arrest
sentence for Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and called on
authorities to reconsider the guilty verdict.

Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo said the ruling "places doubt on the
commitment of the government of Myanmar to hold free, fair, participatory,
transparent and credible elections in 2010."

"The Philippine government finds the decision incomprehensible and
deplorable," Romulo said in a statement.

"The Philippines urges the government of Myanmar to reconsider its
decision and renews its call for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's immediate and
unconditional release," he added.

A Myanmar court on Tuesday found Suu Kyi, 64, guilty of breaking the terms
of her detention by allowing a US national to swim into her lakeside
compound-cum-prison on May 3.

The court sentenced Suu Kyi to three years in prison, but junta leader
Senior General Than Shwe immediately reduced the sentence to 18 months of
house arrest.

Romulo said the development was "a step backward and has once again
sidetracked Myanmar's efforts to carry out its own 'Roadmap to
Democracy'."

"There can be no way forward in Myanmar's quest for political, economic
and social progress without respect for human rights and fundamental
freedoms," he added.

Earlier in the day, dozens of Filipino democracy activists picketed the
Myanmar embassy in Manila's Makati City to denounce the guilty verdict.

The protestors, who waved yellow ribbons and yellow chrysanthemums, said
Suu Kyi's conviction was unfair and baseless.

"Obviously the junta is bent on isolating Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her
party so that she could not provide effective political influence come
2010 elections in Burma [Myanmar]," said Egoy Bans, a spokesman for the
Free Burma Coalition-Philippines.

Bans warned that the Myanmar junta could face an uprising similar to the
2007 protests when up to 100,000 people, led by Buddhist monks, marched in
Yangon.

"Aung San Suu Kyi is Burma's hope for democracy," Bans said. "Convicting
her for a crime she is not guilty of is tantamount to killing that hope."

The Nobel peace laureate has spent a total of 14 of the past 20 years
under house arrest.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

August 11, New York Times
Myanmar sentence draws international criticism – Alan Cowell and Jeffrey
Gettleman

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton joined a chorus of predominantly
Western voices condemning the sentencing of Myanmar’s pro-democracy
leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, on Tuesday, demanding her release and saying
that, without a change in its human rights practices, Myanmar’s scheduled
elections next year would be illegitimate.

“She should not have been tried, and she should not have been convicted,”
Mrs. Clinton told reporters in Goma, Congo, where she is on an African
tour. “We continue to call for her release.”

“We also call for the release of more than 2,000 political prisoners,
including the American, John Yettaw,” she said, referring to a 53-year-old
man who swam across a lake in central Yangon, Myanmar’s main city, last
May and spent two nights in Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi’s villa. The episode led
to the case against her on charges of violating the terms of her house
arrest.

Mrs. Clinton said: “We are concerned about the harsh punishment. The
Burmese junta should immediately end its repression.” She added that
Myanmar’s leaders needed to start a dialogue with the political opposition
and address human rights obligations, “otherwise the elections they have
scheduled for next year will have absolutely no legitimacy.”

Mrs. Clinton spoke after European governments demanded the immediate and
unconditional release of Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi, threatening stricter
sanctions against the military regime there to restrict arms supplies and
curb its trade with the outside world.

In a statement, the 27-nation European Union said it was ready to impose
“targeted measures against those responsible for the verdict” and to
stiffen some earlier measures, including an arms export ban, visa
restrictions and financial sanctions.

Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general, called on the junta to
“immediately and unconditionally release” Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi and “to
engage with her without delay as an essential partner in the process of
national dialogue and reconciliation.”

Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace prize in 1991. Fourteen other
winners responded to the sentencing on Tuesday with a letter calling on
the Security Council to investigate the junta for “war crimes and crimes
against humanity.” In many parts of the world, her trial has been followed
closely and her cause has been embraced by a broad range of politicians
and human rights advocates.

“Citizens across the globe are asking world leaders to hold this brutal
regime to account,” said Ricken Patel, director of an online campaign
network called Avaaz.org. “Aung San Suu Kyi’s detention today on spurious
charges removes any shred of legitimacy.”

Irene Khan, the secretary general of Amnesty International, said in a
statement in London that, while the Myanmar authorities “will hope that a
sentence that is shorter than the maximum will be seen by the
international community as an act of leniency”, it “must not be seen as
such.”

Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi “should never have been arrested in the first place.
The only issue here is her immediate and unconditional release,” Ms. Khan
said.

It was not immediately clear how Myanmar’s Asian neighbors would react.
Asian nations generally react cautiously to events in Myanmar, though they
do sometimes offer critical comments. Analysts said that, in this
instance, they may be willing to accept Myanmar’s protestations of
leniency.

President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, however, called the sentencing
“brutal and unjust” and said European sanctions should focus on profitable
industries including timber and ruby mining. The French foreign minister,
Bernard Kouchner, said in a statement the European Union should impose new
sanctions aimed at the Myanmar leadership “and sparing the civilian
population, which we should continue to protect and assist.”

In Britain, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was “saddened and angry”
at her sentencing and said it was designed by the ruling military leaders
of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, to keep her out of elections next
year.

In a statement, he said: “It is further proof that the military regime in
Burma is determined to act with total disregard for accepted standards of
the rule of law in defiance of international opinion.”

Calling on the Security Council to impose a global prohibition on arms
sales, he added: “The facade of her prosecution is made more monstrous
because its real objective is to sever her bond with the people for whom
she is a beacon of hope and resistance.” France also called for an arms
embargo.

The Obama administration has been reviewing American policy toward Myanmar
since February, when Secretary of State Clinton declared that the existing
sanctions against its military-run government had been ineffective.

At a meeting of the Association of South East Asian nations in Thailand
last month, Mrs. Clinton spoke in unusually detailed terms in discussing
the country’s human rights record and its treatment of Mrs. Aung San Suu
Kyi.

“We are deeply concerned by the reports of continuing human rights abuses
within Burma,” she said at the time, “and particularly by actions that are
attributed to the Burmese military, concerning the mistreatment and abuse
of young girls.”

She also dismissed the charges against Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi as “baseless
and totally unacceptable” and said an improvement of ties with Washington
depended on the Myanmar junta’s handling of human rights issues.

“Our position is that we are willing to have a more productive partnership
with Burma if they take steps that are self-evident,” she said.

Alan Cowell reported from Paris, and Jeffrey Gettleman from Goma, Congo.
Seth Mydans contributed reporting from Bangkok, and Steven Erlanger from
Paris.

____________________________________

August 11, Agence France-Presse
UN Head demands release of Myanmar activist Aung San Suu Kyi

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon is "deeply disappointed" that Myanmar's democracy
icon Aung San Suu Kyi was handed another 18 months of house arrest and
demands her unconditional release, his press office said Tuesday.

"The Secretary General is deeply disappointed by the verdict in respect of
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (and) strongly deplores this decision," a U.N.
statement said.

Ban called on Myanmar's ruling generals "to immediately and
unconditionally release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and to engage with her
without delay as an essential partner in the process of national dialogue
and reconciliation."

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

August 11, Irrawaddy
Than Shwe’s ‘mercy’ is meaningless – Kyaw Zwa Moe

The notorious Insein Prison court sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi to three
years imprisonment with hard labor around noon on Tuesday. Hold your
anger. Mercy then dropped from above. Her captor, Snr-Gen Than Shwe,
interfered with the court’s harsh decision by halving her sentence and
allow her to return home. Thank God. Oh no!  Thank Than Shwe.

As soon as the court read the verdict, Home Minister Maj-Gen Maung Oo
entered the courtroom like the Deus ex Machina of classical Greek drama
and announced that Than Shwe, head of the ruling junta, had ordered the
sentence cut to 18 months. Than Shwe said in his statement, read to the
court by the minister, that he had issued the order for four reasons—Suu
Kyi is the daughter of Aung San, Burma’s independence hero, in the
interests of the country’s peace and stability, and for the absence of
grudges and to avoid obstacles on the way towards democracy.

Apart from halving her sentence, said the minister, Than Shwe had ruled
that she would serve the 18 months at home, under house arrest. But the
merciful gestures didn’t stop there—Maung Oo said Suu Kyi could expect an
amnesty if she complied with the disciplines the government would set up
during that time.

Under the terms of this new house arrest order, Suu Kyi can receive visits
from her doctor and other guests, watch state-run TV and read approved
newspapers.

Two of Suu Kyi’s women companions were also recipients of Than Shwe’s
benevolence. The two members of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy,
who were also convicted of giving shelter to the American intruder John W
Yettaw, had their sentences halved. Yettaw wasn’t so lucky—he was
sentenced to a total of seven years hard labor.

Than Shwe’s intervention in the trial indicated that he and his regime
want to counter international criticism of their treatment of Suu Kyi by
cultivating an image of a constructive and merciful leader, even though
their kangaroo court had condemned an innocent person.

Despite her innocence, Suu Kyi—who has spent 14 of the past 20 years under
house arrest—is seen by the generals as the most dangerous person on
earth, capable of destroying their planned election in 2010.

When she went on trial in May, Suu Kyi faced a possible prison sentence of
five years. The minimum sentence for her “crime” was three years, and most
observers expected this would be her punishment.

Basically, the generals wanted to keep Suu Kyi locked up until after the
2010 election. A sentence of 18 months served their purpose and gave an
aura of clemency to the court.

The junta had anyway inserted in the constitution approved by a referendum
in 2008 a provision excluding Suu Kyi from the highest public office. The
Article 59—Qualifications of the President and Vice-President
Article—states: “The President of the Union himself, parents, spouse,
children and their spouses shall not owe allegiance to a foreign country,
nor be subject of a foreign or citizen of a foreign country.”

That article automatically bars Suu Kyi from any leadership role as she is
the widow of a British scholar and mother of two sons who are not Burmese
citizens.

However, that is not enough for the generals. Her conviction now on a
trumped-up charge actually bars her from participating in the political
arena for ever.

The constitution’s Article 121 states that a person serving a prison term
or having been convicted for an offence shall not be entitled to be
elected to parliament. That clearly means that Suu Kyi can never stand for
election.

Than Shwe seems to be saying: “Suu Kyi, see you after our election.”  He
could add, however, “But we’ll never see each other in the political
arena.”

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

August 11, European Parliamentary Caucus on Burma
EPCB condemns sentencing of Aung San Suu Kyi and calls for UNSC Arms Embargo

The European Parliamentary Caucus on Burma (EPCB) today strongly condemned
the sentencing and continued detention of Burma’s pro-democracy leader Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi.  The caucus called for a global arms embargo and a
commission of inquiry into crimes against humanity committed by the
regime.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who was accused of breaching the terms of her house
arrest after the uninvited visit an American man, John Yettaw, has already
spent almost 14 years in detention. After several months on trail, she was
sentenced to 18 months under house arrest. Earlier this year the UN ruled
that Aung San Suu Kyi’s detention is illegal under international law, and
Burmese law.

The EPCB is confident that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has committed no crime and
her imprisonment is once again a wake up call to the international
community to take stronger action against the military regime, who are the
real criminals by putting her under house arrest in the first place.

The United Nations has also accused the regime of a crime against humanity
for its use of forced labour, and of war crimes as the regime breaks the
Geneva Convention by deliberately targeting civilians. The regime’s
decades-long campaign of ethnic cleansing has forced thousands of people
from their homes with its use of rape as a weapon of war, forced labour,
human minesweepers, the killing of civilians, and the destruction of more
than 3,300 villages.

EPCB is outraged by the weak response from the international community.
EPCB does welcome the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) press
statement issued on May 22 urging Burma's military regime to release all
political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and urged the Burmese
military regime to enter into a political dialogue with democracy forces
and representatives from ethnic groups.

However, in direct defiance of the UNSC, the regime is seeking to prolong
the detention of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and shows no sign of participating
in dialogue either with her or all concerned parties including
representatives from ethnic groups, as mandated by the UN General
Assembly.

EPCB believes that it is time for the international community to translate
words into actions by banning all weapons sales to Burma’s military
regime.

Therefore the EPCB urges the UNSC to use all its influence to secure the
release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners and impose a
global arms embargo against the military regime. EPCB further calls for a
commission of inquiry into crimes against humanity being committed against
ethnic minorities in Eastern Burma.

For more information contact:
Silver Meikar MP, Executive Committee member of the Caucus, on: (+372 52
78 089) (Estonia)
UK: Zoya Phan at +44 (0) 773 863 0139, zoya.phan at burmacampaign.org.uk
CR: Marie Zahradnikova at +420 739 220 248,
marie.zahradnikova at peopleinneed.cz

____________________________________

August 11, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Burma Lawyer
Council (BLC), Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (Altsean-Burma)
An unfair sentence, a dark future for the country

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Burma Lawyer Council
(BLC) and The Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (Altsean-Burma) express
their outrage regarding the condemnation of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi by the
Insein prison court in Rangoon to 18 months house arrest.

“This shocking verdict illustrates once more the Burmese junta's total
disregard for its international human rights obligations and shows the
real face of the regime. With the main opposition leader and 2,100
political prisoners behind bars, the elections planned by the regime for
next year will be nothing but a mockery”, said Aung Htoo, General
Secretary of BLC.

In an advocacy note released today, FIDH, BLC and Altsean-Burma
demonstrate that the widespread and systematic violations of international
human rights and humanitarian law documented by numerous Burmese, regional
and international NGOs and UN mechanisms over the past years amount to
crimes against humanity and war crimes. FIDH, BLC and Altsean-Burma
therefore call for the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry by the UN
Security Council.

“The condemnation of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is not an isolated act of
repression : it is taking place in a context where crimes against humanity
and war crimes have been perpetrated for decades in Eastern Burma together
with other grave human rights violations in the rest of the country. The
international community must move immediately to stop this inhumanity :
the appointment of a Commission of Inquiry by the Security Council is the
first step for any process of justice to be initiated”, concluded Souhayr
Belhassen, President of FIDH.

“The ongoing atrocities in Burma increase the urgency for a Commission of
Inquiry. Even now, men, women and children continue to be subjected to
extreme and systematic forms of violence and murder. The world should not
allow this to go on”, emphasized Debbie Stothard, Coordinator of
Altsean-Burma.

The Report entitled “Burma: An International Commission of Inquiry more
urgent than ever”, can be downloaded at
http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/bu08.pdf

Press contacts

Gael Grilhot, FIDH Press Office : + 33 1 43 55 90 19
Debbie Stothard, Coordinator of Altsean-Burma : +668 1686 1652
Aung Htoo, General Secretary of BLC: + 46 70 866 4159

____________________________________

August 11, Nobel Women’s Initiative
Nobel Laureates call for action on Burma: A UN Security Council Commission
of Inquiry

The UN Security Council must take strong action on Burma and issue an
investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the
Burmese military regime. This was the message sent by 14 Nobel
Laureates—including The Dalai Lama, Shirin Ebadi, Jody Williams, Mairead
Maguire, Presidents Mikhail Gorbachev and Kim Dae-jung and Archbishop

Desmond Tutu in an open letter to the Security Council. The letter was
released today in response to the guilty verdict of Burma’s democratically
elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
“This illegal verdict is just one more instance of the junta’s contempt
for justice, security, and democracy for the Burmese people,” said Nobel
Laureate Jody Williams. “The brutality and lawlessness of this regime can
no longer be ignored. It is within the realm of the Security
Council to address the crimes against the people of Burma, and the time to
act is now.”

Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was convicted today by the Burmese
military junta, and sentenced to 18 more months of house arrest. The junta
says Suu Kyi violated her house arrest in May when she offered temporary
shelter to an American man, John William Yettaw, who swam to her lakeside
home. Her supporters say the move is meant to keep her confined so she
cannot participate in the general elections scheduled for 2010.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions (UNWGAD), an arm of the UN
Human Rights
Council, has ruled the arrest and detention of Suu Kyi illegal, stating
that, "The latest renewal
(2008) of the order to place Ms. Suu Kyi under house arrest not solely
violates international law
but also national domestic laws of Myanmar.”

While she is the country’s most prominent political prisoner, Aung San Suu
Kyi is not alone.
Over 2100 democracy activists are presently in Burmese prisons. In the
meantime, the Burmese military continues its attacks on the people of
Burma. In June, the Burmese military dropped mortar shells onto an
internally displaced persons camp, causing over 5,000 villagers to flee
for their lives. Experts have documented hundreds of cases of crimes
against humanity in Burma over the last 15 years, including the rape of
hundreds of women. The Laureates’ open letter states that the crimes
against the Burmese people and the full extent of the brutality of the
regime must be investigated and must not be tolerated any longer. It calls
on the UN Security Council to pass a resolution creating a Commission of
Inquiry into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma, and to end
the impunity of the Burmese military.

“The people of Burma have suffered unimaginable human rights abuses at the
hands of dictators.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s latest conviction is the final straw,” says Nobel
Laureate Mairead Maguire.
“The time has come for the international community to unite, and stand
together in peaceful opposition to the actions of the military junta. The
UN Security Council needs to act immediately to send the message that this
kind of brutal oppression will not be tolerated, and hold the regime
accountable.”

For further information, please contact:
Kimberley MacKenzie
Program Associate, Advocacy and Communications, Nobel Women’s Initiative
613-569-8400 x 114 (Ottawa)
Eliza Brinkmeyer
Fenton Communications
202-822-5200 (Washington, DC)

____________________________________

August 11, Office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
PM statement on Aung San Suu Kyi

The Prime Minister has released a statement responding to the news that
Aung  San Suu Kyi will spend a further one and a half years under house
arrest in Burma.

I am both saddened and angry at the verdict today, 11 August , following
the sham trial of Aung San Suu Kyi.

The news - that she has been found guilty and sentenced to three years
hard labour but that this has been “mitigated” to a suspended sentence of
1.5 years under house arrest - is further proof that the military regime
in Burma is determined to act with total disregard for accepted standards
of the rule of law and in defiance of international opinion.

This is a purely political sentence designed to prevent her from taking
part in the regime’s planned elections next year

So long as Aung San Suu Kyi and all those political opponents imprisoned
in Burma remain in detention and are prevented from playing their full
part in the political process, the planned elections in 2010 will have no
credibility or legitimacy.

The façade of her prosecution is made more monstrous because its real
objective is to sever her bond with the people for whom she is a beacon of
hope and resistance.

I have always made clear that the United Kingdom would respond positively
to any signs of progress on democratic reform in Burma. But with the
generals explicitly rejecting that course today, the international
community must take action.

The EU has agreed to impose tough new sanctions targeting the economic
interests of the regime.

I also believe that the UN Security Council - whose will has been flouted
- must also now respond resolutely and impose a world wide ban on the sale
of arms to the regime.

My thoughts today are with Aung San Suu Kyi - the human face of Burma’s
tragedy - and with the people of Burma who suffer on a daily basis.

____________________________________

August 11, Avaaz.org
Guilty: Aung San Suu Kyi or the Burmese regime?

As Burmese courts imposed a three-year sentence on Nobel Peace Laureate,
Aung San Suu Kyi today, campaigns launched demanding an investigation into
the Burmese military regime for crimes against humanity.

"Citizens across the globe are asking world leaders to  hold this brutal
regime to account," said Ricken Patel, director of campaign network
Avaaz.org which has members in every country. "Aung San Suu Kyi 's
detention today on spurious charges removes any shred of legitimacy."

Citing recent independent investigations,  Patel added: "The evidence of
killings, torture and sexual violence in Burma is overwhelming. Reports
list tens of thousands of child soldiers, widespread slave labour and
destruction of ethnic villages on the same scale as Darfur."

"The United Nations must now go beyond words and take action. The
spotlight is turning to the UK and the USA. Will they use their
presidencies at the UN Security Council to seek justice or choose to avert
their gaze?" he added.

The UK currently holds the United Nations Security Council presidency and
will hand over to USA at the end of August. Pressure is mounting for them
to prioritise getting China, key sponsor of the regime, on board in the
push for a Commission of Inquiry into abuses by the regime.

Both Prime Minister Brown and President Obama have made strong statements
against the sham trial of Aung San Suu Kyi and  55 members of the US
Congress and 60 UK parliamentarians have already called on them to pursue
a Commission of Inquiry on Burma.

Nobel Laureates are expected to add their weight to the campaign in the
coming days following  a call last month by Archbishop Desmond Tutu for a
UN investigation and a global arms embargo.

A recent Harvard Law School report by the five of the world's top jurists
charges the Burmese regime with committing massive human rights
violations, war crimes and crimes against humanity and reveals that the UN
has been documenting these abuses for years.

"A UN investigation in Burma would not only offer some hope of justice for
the victims but would also help undermine the military regime in advance
of elections slated for 2010," said Patel.

A Commission of Inquiry can only come into effect  if nine members of the
Security Council vote for it and none of the five permanent members veto
it. Against the odds, this happened on Sudan and within four months a
Security Council resolution resulted in a report which focused global
attention on Sudan and eventually led to an International Criminal Court
indictment of the President.

To interview Ricken Patel, director of Avaaz.org, contact: media at avaaz.org
 or   +1-888-922-8229  (EST),  +32 470 860 660  (CET) or  +1 646 229 5416
.

Notes to editors:

1. Nearly 700,000 people signed a recent petition calling for the release
of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners, 400,000 of them signed
online through  Avaaz.org. 
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/free_aung_san_suu_kyi/
2. Harvard Law Report: http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/hrp/newsid=59.html
3. Commission of Inquiry. UNSC process:
http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/resguide/scvote.htm and why COI can be such a
powerful tool: http://www.unausa.org/Document.Doc?id=253
4. Burma Campaign UK: http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/ . US Campaign for
Burma: http://uscampaignforburma.org/
5.  US and UK hold the presidency of the United Nations Security Council
in August and September 2009 respectively.
http://www.un.org/sc/presidency.asp

____________________________________

August 11, Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland)
Minister for Foreign Affairs condemns the conviction of Aung San Suu Kyi

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Micheál Martin T.D., has condemned
the conviction today of Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of Burma’s National
League for Democracy and Nobel Peace laureate.  Aung San Suu Kyi was
sentenced by a Burmese court to three years hard labour, commuted to 18
months under house arrest, in connection with the illegal intrusion of a
US national into her compound in May. The Minister said:

‘I deplore the trial over the last few months, and conviction today, of
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy in
Burma, esteemed Nobel Peace laureate and a woman of outstanding courage
who has earned worldwide respect.

The verdict is a clear confirmation that the Burmese junta is determined
to continue its illegal rule without regard for the will of the Burmese
people, in blatant disregard of the demands of the international
community, including the UN Secretary General, and in breach of
international law and its own laws.

The conviction of Aung San Suu Kyi serves only one purpose and that is to
exclude her from participating in the elections scheduled for next year in
Burma. It lays bare the emptiness of the regime’s rhetoric that the
elections will be free and fair. I have repeatedly made clear my view that
these elections will have no credibility unless all political prisoners
are released unconditionally and a political process is initiated, based
on an inclusive, long-term dialogue in which the opposition and ethnic
groups can participate fully.  I call once more for the immediate release
of Aung San Suu Kyi and of all political prisoners and for the launching
of a process of dialogue.  As Aung San Suu Kyi said during the early
stages of this trial in May: “It is still not too late to achieve national
reconciliation”.

The EU, as the Presidency statement today makes clear, is taking immediate
action to extend its sanctions against the regime and the judges involved
in the trial and sentencing of Aung San Suu Kyi.

I will continue to speak out within the EU and the UN and in my contacts
with the countries of the region for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and
for the goals of justice, democracy, reconciliation and prosperity for the
people of Burma.’

Preas Oifig, Teach Uibh Eachach, Faiche Stiabhna, Baile Átha Cliath 2
Press Office, Iveagh House, St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2.
Tel: 353 -1- 478 0822
Fax:    353 -1- 478 5942 / 475 7476
Idirlíon/Internet:  www.dfa.ie          Ríomh Phost/E-mail:
press.office at dfa.ie

____________________________________
STATEMENT

August 11, European Union
Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the
verdict against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

The European Union condemns the verdict against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,
leader of the National League for Democracy and Nobel Peace Prize
Laureate, and the unjustified trial against her. The proceedings against
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, on charges which were brought twenty years after she
was first wrongfully arrested, have been in breach of national and
international law. The EU urges the authorities to immediately and
unconditionally release her.

The authorities of Burma/Myanmar have chosen to ignore the protests over
her arrest and the appeals for her release. These have come from a larger
number of States and organisations than ever before, led by the UN
Secretary-General, and including the Chair and several Member States of
ASEAN, of which Burma/Myanmar is a member.

The EU will respond with additional targeted measures against those
responsible for the verdict. In addition, the EU will further reinforce
its restrictive measures targeting the regime of Burma/Myanmar, including
its economic interests. The EU underlines its readiness to revise, amend
or reinforce its measures in light of the developments in Burma/Myanmar.

The EU will intensify its work with the international community, and
especially with its partners in Asia, to achieve our common aim of
obtaining the immediate and unconditional release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
and all other political prisoners in Burma/Myanmar. This is an essential
first step in the process of genuine national reconciliation that is
needed if the elections in 2010 are to be seen as credible, free and fair,
as was also stressed by the UN Secretary-General during his mission to
Burma/Myanmar on 3-4 July. The EU urges the authorities of Burma/Myanmar
to comply with the Secretary General's demands and to cooperate with the
UN and the international community. If the authorities decide to take such
steps, the EU stands ready to respond positively.

The EU recalls its strong and unwavering commitment to support and sustain
the people of Burma/Myanmar. The EU provides the people with substantial
humanitarian assistance and stands ready to increase its support further.