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Statements ASEAN Chairman’s Statement on Myanmar, 18 May 2009, Bangkok

May 19, 2009 Ministry of Foreign AffairsThailand, as the ASEAN Chair, expresses grave concern about recent developments relating to DawAung San Suu Kyi, given her fragile health. In this connection, the Government of the Union of Myanmar is reminded that the ASEAN Leaders had called for the immediate release of Daw Aung SanSuu Kyi. Furthermore, the Government of the Union of Myanmar, as a responsible member of ASEAN, has the responsibility to protect and promote human rights. It is therefore called upon toprovide timely and adequate medical care to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as well as to accord her humanetreatment with dignity. With the eyes of the international community on Myanmar at present, thehonour and the credibility of the Government of the Union of Myanmar are at stake. Thailand, as theASEAN Chair, reaffirms ASEAN’s readiness to contribute constructively to the national reconciliationprocess and the peaceful transition of democracy in Myanmar.

Foreign Minister gave interview on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial

May 21, 2009 Ministry of Foreign AffairsOn 20 May 2009 at 19.30 hours, Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs gave a press interviewconcerning Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial. Gist as follows:First, the Foreign Minister commended the Government of Myanmar for inviting members of thediplomatic corps as well as the media to attend the trial of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi today (20 May).Second, the Foreign Minister further added that three representatives from the embassies of Thailand, as Chair of the ASEAN; Singapore, as dean of the diplomatic corps to Myanmar; and Russia,as a member of the United Nations Security Council; were invited to visit Daw Aung San Suu Kyi ather accommodation inside the Insein compound following the proceedings. The representative from theThai embassy conveyed Foreign Minister Kasit’s concern over her health, of which the ForeignMinister is pleased to learn that she was well. Moreover, the Thai representative reiterated Thailand’swish to see peace, reconciliation, and democracy in Myanmar including the release of all politicaldetainees, as reflected in interviews given by both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister as wellas the statement recently issued by Thailand as Chair of the ASEAN.The Foreign Minister noted that the Thai Ambassador to Myanmar will meet with Myanmar’sForeign Minister tomorrow (21 May) and that the Foreign Minister himself will have severalopportunities to meet with his Myanmar counterpart during the 9th Asia-Europe Foreign MinisterialMeeting (FMM9) in Hanoi as well as the 17th ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting in Phnom Penh tofurther discuss the situation in Myanmar.While it is encouraging that the Myanmar Government had allowed members of the diplomaticcorps and the media to attend the hearings as well as arranged for the meeting with Daw Aung San SuuKyi, Thailand hoped that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political detainees would be released, thuscontributing towards the process of national reconciliation and democratization in Myanmar.

News Abhisit calls on Burmese junta to release Suu Kyi

May 20, 2009 The NationPrime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva - as chairman of Asean-has issued a statement calling again forimmediate release of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose trial continued yesterdayfor violation of the house arrest conditions.

"The government of the Union of Myanmar [Burma] is reminded that the Asean leaders hadcalled for the immediate release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi," said the statement issued late Monday.Aung San Suu Kyi, together with two companions and an American John Yettaw-who swamacross the Inya lake to her residence-are being tried in a special court in the notorious Insein prison forthe second day.If the court convicts Suu Kyi, she would face five years' imprisonment, an automatic extensionof the term in detention she received in 2003.The international community has expressed concern over the case and the US has renewed itssanctions against the junta.Senior officials of Asean met on Monday and yesterday in Phuket to seek a common stance, buta concrete solution cannot be expected, say observers.The latest statement by Prime Minister Abhisit also expressed grave concern for Aung San SuuKyi's situation, given her fragile health, and called on the junta to provide timely and adequate medicalcare for her.Burma, as a responsible member of Asean, has the responsibility to protect and promote humanrights, the statement said.With the eyes of the international community on Burma, the honour and credibility of itsgovernment are at stake, it said."We hope Myanmar will listen to other Asean colleagues and...Asean is ready to contributeconstructively to the national reconciliation process and the peaceful transition to democracy," PrimeMinister Abhisit said.However the regional grouping and neighbouring Thailand would not take any tough action orset a deadline for the junta to comply, he said.

Asean joins calls for Suu Kyi's release

May 20, 2009 Bangkok PostBurma's credibility at stake, says AbhisitThailand, as chair of Asean, has added its voice to calls for the immediate release of Burmeseopposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.Burma's ruling junta is apparently rushing Mrs Suu Kyi's trial so she could be handed a jailsentence as early as next week. The Thai and Asean call is an attempt to prevent that."The Government of the Union of Myanmar [Burma] is reminded that the Asean leaders havecalled for the immediate release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi," the statement from Asean said.The statement was issued after senior Asean officials discussed the matter at talks held in Phuketon Monday.Thailand used the statement to express its "grave concern" about Mrs Suu Kyi's situation givenher fragile health.Burma's democracy icon has been on trial since Monday for breaking house arrest rules. Her six-year house detention sentence is due to expire next Wednesday.Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday Thailand was closely monitoring developmentsin Burma in the hope it would heed Asean's call. But Thailand had no plan to impose a deadline overthe issue.He said Asean had shown its readiness to "contribute constructively to thenational reconciliation process and the peaceful transition of democracy" in Burma, and warned theBurmese regime that its credibility was now at stake.But Aung Naing Oo, a Chiang Mai-based Burmese political analyst, was sceptical about thelikely impact of the Asean statement.The member states held no sway over the country's political reforms, the former student leadersaid. With China and India remaining silent on the issue, the Burmese junta had no reason to soften itsstance on detaining Mrs Suu Kyi.Asean and Thailand should do more than just call for her immediate release, said Win Min, aprofessor at the All Ethnic International Open University Programme at Chiang Mai University."Asean should tell the ruling State Peace and Development Council that it would be difficult orimpossible to support the 2010 elections unless Mrs Suu Kyi was released and the election process wasinclusive for her party," he said.Yesterday, five witnesses - including four police officers who said they arrested American JohnYettaw after he spent two days at Mrs Suu Kyi's lakeside house - gave evidence at the closed-door

trial being held at Insein prison."They are trying to finish [the trial] as soon as possible," Nyan Win, the spokesman for Mrs SuuKyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), told reporters.Nyan Win said the trial could be finished by as early as next week.He said the prosecution was expected to call 22 witnesses, all but one of whom are police. Thesenior officer who filed the original complaint against Mrs Suu Kyi testified on Monday.Critics say the military regime has trumped up the charges to keep Mrs Suu Kyi locked up duringelections due next year, and also to beat the May 27 deadline when her latest six-year period of detention expires.Mrs Suu Kyi has spent 13 of the past 19 years in detention, most of them under house arrest ather residence.Mr Yettaw and two of Mrs Suu Kyi's female political aides, who live at the house, are also ontrial at the jail."The witnesses described the situation when they arrested him. They said they watched him as heswam and at first they thought he was a thief," Nyan Win said, recounting the testimony by the fourpolicemen yesterday."But they said that they knew as soon as he came to the bank of the lake that hewas a foreigner. Then they took him to the special branch."

Diplomats granted access to Suu Kyi

May 20, 2009 Bangkok PostBurma opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi was unexpectedly allowed to speak to diplomats at herinternationally condemned trial yesterday and expressed hope for "better days" in the future.Mrs Suu Kyi smiled and looked healthy as she thanked envoys for coming to Insein prison in herfirst public comments since the ruling junta charged her last week with breaching her house arrest, anAFP reporter inside the court said."Thank you very much for coming and for your support," the 63-year-old, wearing pink Burmesetraditional dress, said inside the courtroom at the end of the third day of the trial."I can't meet you one by one, but I hope to meet you all in better days."Mrs Suu Kyi then met the ambassadors of Singapore and Russia and a senior diplomat fromThailand at the so-called "guest house" inside the prison compound where she is being held.Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya quoted the Thai diplomat who met the Burmese oppositionleader as saying she was in good health and expressed hope to work with the Association of SoutheastAsian Nations one day.The Nobel Peace Prize laureate told the envoys she "did not wish to use the intrusion into herhome as a way to get at the Burma authorities" and expressed hope for "national reconciliation if allparties so wished", the Singapore government said."She also expressed the view that it was not too late for something good to come out of thisunfortunate incident."Mr Kasit praised the Burmese government for allowing the diplomats to meet her and witness thetrial but said the positive signs should not end there.The Burmese government should release all political prisoners from jail to clear the way fornational reconciliation, he said.Authorities held the first two days of hearings behind closed doors and had turned awayEuropean diplomats on Monday, but yesterday representatives from 30 embassies were allowed in.The regime also allowed five journalists from foreign news organisations and the same numberfrom local organisations to report on the hearing. Details had previously emerged only in state media orthrough Mrs Suu Kyi's lawyers.The case against Mrs Suu Kyi, accused of violating the terms of her house arrest after Americanintruder John Yettaw swam to her lakeside home two weeks ago, has outraged the West and triggeredthreats of new sanctions.The surprise move to allow diplomats and media access to the trial followed intense internationalpressure and a scathing condemnation by Burma's normally placid Southeast Asian neighbours.

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