Radio Australia Today Editorial

Aung San Suu Kyi gets the verdict today

31 July 2009

Burma’s democracy leader will most probably be found guilty today.

She was arrested some months ago after an American man swam uninvited to her crumbling lakeside home, where she has been under house arrest.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s supporters say the junta used this incident as an excuse to arrest Ms Suu Kyi and charge her with violating the conditions of her house arrest. You see, next year Burma is supposed to have an election. Although few people believe the junta’s election will be anything like democratic, the arrest is seen by many as a way of getting Aung San Suu Kyi out of the way for the election.

They needn’t have bothered. Any candidates remotely interested in real democracy have boycotted the so-called elections anyway.

It is an action of extraordinary ineptness by the junta, who should have known that to do nothing would’ve been far cleverer. Their actions have already led to action, with U.S. President Barack Obama this week announcing sanctions on Burmese jade and gems. Suu Kyi supporters say action like this will have some effect on the junta and not hurt the Burmese people because, they claim, most of the proceeds of such exports goes directly to the junta and its friends anyway.

Dr Myint Cho, an Australian-based Aung San Suu Kyi supporter says what needs to happen now is a United Nations sanction against Burma. That would necessarily mean that China and Russia would have to agree to it, and if that happened, it would be a significant worry for the junta.

Myint Cho is clear. He believes, like many, that there will be a guilty verdict in this case, but he thinks the sentence (of up to five years) could be suspended, meaning that Ms Suu Kyi will just be returned to her decaying home for more years to come.

As for Aung San Suu Kyi, she is not in great health, but she seems to be less concerned for herself than for the two women who have been her companions in house arrest, and who have also been charged with aiding in the alleged crime. Having a lesser profile they are at a greater risk of being dealt with much more harshly.

This concern speaks volumes for the quality of the woman we’re talking about.

– Phil