THE ARREST and charging of Burmese opposition leader Aun San Suu Kyi after a bizarre incident involving an American citizen who swam uninvited to where she is under house arrest is clearly a politically motivated ploy to ensure she stays detained for another period. She was due to be released on May 27th. This incident will ensure she and her National League for Democracy (NLD) cannot participate in the highly controlled elections called by the Burmese military junta next year. It will also be an excuse for them to decline her invitation to a political dialogue on the countrys future.
Burma has been in a deeply repressed condition since the popular revolt against military rule in August 2007 was crushed the following month. Police opened fire on a large demonstration in Rangoon, and went on to raid monasteries, arrest demonstrators and put down public protests with tear gas, baton charges and gunfire. Little or no progress has since been made to have the military relax their rule, despite efforts by United Nations envoys and mainly western diplomatic and political pressure. Neighbouring Asian states have been conspicuously silent, in keeping with their norm of non-interference; some of them have lent support to next year’s elections, since they are anxious to remain in the junta’s favour for strategic or economic reasons.
These are intended to legitimise military rule by excluding Ms Suu Kyi’s party from any democratic process and endorsing ones sponsored by the generals. The military would have a leading role in politics and its officers 25 per cent of seats. It is a highly distorted and misleading ploy, given the demonstrable evidence of mass support for her party, going back to its victory in the 1990 elections when it won 392 out of 485 seats but was not then allowed to form a government. The 2007 events showed a continuing demand for it to be represented fully in Burma’s political life.
For these reasons international organisations should refuse to recognise the democratic credentials of next year’s elections as currently planned. The NLD’s demands for the release of political prisoners, a review of the constitution adopted questionably last year, genuine dialogue to resolve Burma’s crisis and recognition of the 1990 election result are worthy of international support. They form the basis of its policy to offer a dialogue with the junta, rather than rejecting altogether the highly limited political opening on offer. Ms Suu Kyi’s arrest and trial give international organisations and neighbouring states a chance to raise their voices.