Without Firm Action, There’s No Birthday Joy for Suu Kyi

BREAKING with its policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of member states, the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) has urged the Myanmar government to free Aung San Suu Kyi, who, along with other members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), have been detained since May 30.

While a very welcome step, more needs to be done.

On Feb 18, I met with Aung San Suu Kyi at her home in Rangoon. It was the first successful visit of another Nobel Peace Laureate with Ms Suu Kyi since she was awarded the Peace Prize in 1991.

We talked about the situation in her country since her being freed from house arrest in May last year.

Her release prompted hopes that it was a step towards a democratic government in Myanmar. But at our meeting, she said there had been no dialogue between her party and the State Peace And Development Council (SPDC), the military regime that clings to power.

In our discussions about the continuing stalemate, Ms Suu Kyi was absolutely clear that 'there is no way for the SPDC to escape dialogue' if there was to be a peaceful transition to democracy in her country.

Even before this latest attack on democracy activists by the SPDC, the junta had been increasing its harassment of Ms Suu Kyi and other NLD members.

In those first 10 months after her release from house arrest, came the arrests of about 60 new political prisoners. An estimated 1,400 political prisoners still remain in detention and there have been no releases since November last year.

Even in February, Ms Suu Kyi had noted that the regime had stepped up its propaganda attacks against the NLD and had launched a 'pamphlet campaign' slandering her - even as she still remained 'free' to move about the country.

Ms Suu Kyi's May trip to the north of Myanmar was to mark the one-year anniversary of her release from house arrest.

Apparently, the SPDC could no longer tolerate her work to revive democracy and violently removed her from the public eye.

Calls were heard in much of the world for her immediate release and that of other detained members of her party.

The addition of Asean's very important voice is most welcome. But, international pressure must be increased on the SPDC to engage in full and open dialogue with Ms Suu Kyi and the NLD for transition to democracy in the shortest term possible.

It has been 13 years since the NLD won overwhelmingly in national elections, but it still has not been allowed to form the government.

At our meeting, Ms Suu Kyi was clear that her party was unflinching in its continued call for the strengthening of economic sanctions against the military junta.

It is not enough that the United States and European Union are increasing sanctions against the regime there.

Too many of Myanmar's neighbours have argued that the best route to change in that country is through constructive engagement.

But the people who are struggling to bring democracy to the country - Ms Suu Kyi and the democracy movement - express no doubt about the need for continued and stepped-up pressure to bring about change.

Myanmar's neighbours, instead of increasingly engaging with the SPDC regime, should firmly support the democracy movement there by both word and action.

It is Ms Suu Kyi's 58th birthday today.

When we met, we discussed the hope that if the dialogue stalemate were broken and there was meaningful movement towards political change in Myanmar, it would be possible for me to freely bring a group of women into the country to celebrate her birthday and, with her, a move towards democracy.

But the situation inside the country has gone from bad to worse.

Words in support of political change are important, but concrete action to further the words is even more so.

It was the international isolation and economic sanctions against apartheid in South Africa that helped the internal forces of that country force change and bring democracy to that nation.

The international community must unite in applying effective pressure on the Myanmar government until it cedes power to those who earned it legitimately at the ballot box.