Labour Welcomes Release Of Aung San Suu Kyi

The President of the Labour Party has welcomed the release from house arrest of the Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Deputy Michael Higgins, who is also the party's spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, said that he hoped the release of the release of the outspoked campaigner who spent 15 years and 20 days in detention due to her opposition to the military junta in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), would hasten the establishment of democracy in the country.

"Aung San Suu Kyi has won worldwide admiration for her fight for democracy and human rights, a principled stand that has cost her 15 years of freedom over the past 21 years," Mr Higgins said.

He added: "She is widely respected and admired in this country and many local authorities, including Dublin and Galway, have awarded her the freedom of their cities. I hope that she will be soon in a position to personally accept these awards. Her release comes only days after elections that were condemned by the international community as being neither democratic nor transparent.

Mr Higgins also said the while the release will be rightly hailed all over the free world, it should not be forgotten there are more than 2,000 other political prisoners in Burma.

Meanwhile, Burma Action Ireland also welcomed the release but warns that by itself, the development did not mean that the military are serious about reform and democracy.

Speaking today, Burma Action Ireland’s Chairperson Keith Donald said: “While we very much welcome Aung San Suu Kyi’s release, it should not be seen as an indication that the military regime is interested in genuine progress towards reform and democracy. They should release all political prisoners and end the military offensives against the ethnic minorities.”

Multi-party general elections were held in Myanmar last week leading to the victory of the incumbent military junta, however, the international community have suggested a umber of irregularities had occurred, with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon claiming voting conditions had been "insufficiently inclusive, participatory and transparent."

(DW/KMcA)