UN chief rebukes Burmese junta after being denied visit to Suu Kyi

Published on Saturday 4 July 2009 19:54

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday he was "deeply disappointed" that military-ruled Burma's top general had rejected his request to meet with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Ban, who was made to wait overnight for the decision, said he pressed junta supremo Than Shwe but was told that Suu Kyi was on trial and the regime did not want to be seen to interfere with the judicial process.

"I'm deeply disappointed," Ban said after his 30-minute meeting with the regime's reclusive 76-year-old leader.

"I think they have missed a very important opportunity of demonstrating their willingness to commit to continuing reconciliation with all political leaders.

"I pressed as hard as I could as a way of committing them to this (democratisation] process," he said.

Ban requested the visit during a rare meeting on Friday with Than Shwe, but he left the two-hour session with no clear answer.

Suu Kyi, who has spearheaded the campaign for democracy for two decades in the former Burma, is currently on trial for breaching terms of her house arrest by allowing an American intruder to stay at her home on May 4.

Critics have dismissed her hearing as a show trial and an attempt by the generals to keep her out of multi-party elections to be held next year.

Suu Kyi's trial was adjourned on Friday until 10 July because of a clerical error by the court, according to her lawyer.

The secretary-general said he urged the regime to drop the charges against Suu Kyi and other political leaders, but received no guarantees.

"It is a setback to the international community's efforts to provide a helping hand to Myanmar (Burma]," he said.

Ban, one of the few top world figures the Burma supremo is willing to meet, also presented Than Shwe with a number of proposals to help the development of democracy.

He asked for the release of more than 2,000 political prisoners the opening of real dialogue between the government and opposition, and the creating of conditions conducive to free and fair elections.

Ban said the junta leader expressed his commitment to ensuring the elections were "free and credible".

A UN official also said the delegation had urged the Senior General to accept international monitors.

However, it was not immediately known if Than Shwe agreed to all of Ban's requests, but the UN chief said he was optimistic political prisoners would be freed to take part in elections.

"I believe they are very seriously considering releasing political prisoners, if not soon, at the latest before the beginning of this election," he said.

A UN official said that Than Shwe told the delegation that next time Ban visits the country, he and his generals would all be civilians.

"When you come back I will be an ordinary citizen because it will be a civilian government," the official quoted Than Shwe as telling Ban.

In London last week, Prime Minister Gordon Brown called on the Burmese authorities to halt Suu Kyi's trial, which "made mockery of justice".

Ban had described his current second visit to Burma as a "very tough mission" and made clear he was not expecting radical changes overnight in a country that has been ruled by a military junta for 47 years.