The Hindu : India voices concern over Suu Kyi's arrest

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 06, 2003

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India voices concern over Suu Kyi's arrest

By Amit Baruah

NEW DELHI JUNE 5. India said today that it was closely watching and "with concern" the "recent developments'' in Myanmar without directly referring to the detention of the National League for Democracy (NLD) leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on May 30.

In response to a question, the Foreign Office spokesman said India had consistently supported efforts for the restoration of democracy in Myanmar and welcomed the lifting of restrictions on Ms. Suu Kyi in May 2002.

India, he said, recognised the NLD leader's commitment to democracy. While believing that solutions to internal problems should come from within and that external pressure could be counter-productive, India, at the same time, commended the effective intermediary role played by the U.N. Secretary-General's special envoy, Razali Ismail.

This role intended to promote dialogue between the Myanmar Government and the NLD, India felt, should be encouraged. "India supports the efforts of the Government of Myanmar and the National League for Democracy for consolidating the process of national reconciliation through dialogue and peaceful activities."

The carefully-worded response did not call upon the State Peace and Development Council to release Ms. Suu Kyi, who pro-democracy Burmese sources here believe received a serious head injury in the May 30 "attack" on her by "agents of the Burmese regime".

Clearly, India is walking a tightrope as far as Ms. Suu Kyi and the military junta are concerned. While standing for democracy, India does not want to sound like other Western Governments in its response to Ms. Suu Kyi's detention.

In a statement, Soe Myint, chief of the Mizzima News agency, said: "At present, her whereabouts are not known, though some reports say that she is being detained in a military hospital in Rangoon. The military Government it not disclosing her whereabouts. Other senior leaders of the NLD have been placed under house arrest".

"The Burmese military regime is launching a nationwide crackdown against the members of the NLD and pro-democracy activists. It has arrested several hundreds throughout the country. The Burmese authorities cut telephone lines in many cities...the colleges and universities have been closed down indefinitely. Burma is under undeclared martial law," Mr. Soe Myint claimed.

There is little doubt that the Ms. Suu Kyi's detention is a grave setback to the process of contact that had been initiated between the military authorities and the NLD. Instead of moving forward, her arrest could have grave implications for the country. Of late, in one of her reported remarks, Ms. Suu Kyi had called upon the military junta to honour the results of the 1990 elections that had swept the NLD to power. It also places a heavy responsibility on the United Nations and the rest of the international community to secure the release of Ms. Suu Kyi.

Of late, there has been a growing sense of frustration that the "contacts" between the NLD and the military authorities did not lead to any progress towards substantive dialogue towards the establishment of democracy in Myanmar.

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