Burma’s military junta said on Wednesday that detained opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi deserved to be beaten like an errant child for threatening national security.
Seeking to justify the 62-year-old’s latest stretch of house arrest, now in its sixth year, official newspapers said Suu Kyi and other detainees had been in contact with and had received cash from rebel guerrillas and foreign governments.
“Due to the crimes they have committed, they well deserve flogging punishment as in the case of naughty children,” the papers said in Burmese and English-language editorials thought to reflect the thinking of the junta’s top brass. The editorials added that the government was behaving like the “parent of the people” and exercising “great patience”.
It detained Suu Kyi and others “in order that they will not be in a position to commit similar crimes again”, they said.
Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won more than 80% of seats in a 1990 election, only to be denied power by a military that has ruled Burma since a 1962 coup.
As the daughter of independence hero Aung San, she exercises enormous personal political clout in the nation of 57-million. It is largely out of fear of this that the ruling generals have kept her in some form of detention for nearly 13 of the last 19 years.
The newspaper commentaries also sought to explain the specific security law under which Suu Kyi is being held, but they failed to clarify whether the extension of her detention order on May 27 was for six or 12 months.
The papers also cited Singapore, Malaysia and the United States as countries which had laws to “prevent those who pose danger to the state”. – Reuters 2008
last paragraph is the interesting bit… 🙂
Dear YB teresa and Malaysian People,
IT IS OUR duty to ensure that the BN UMNO government will never form a Burma type Junta in malaysia..
Who gave the Junta the power to rule anyway? they were never voted by the people and should there be any powers higher than the burma junta, they should all be arrested and executed for violation of Human Rights..
When they claim that Suu Kyi is a threat to national secutiry, it only means she is a threat to their self appointed power to rule for life, as if they are given by god the divine right to rule..
So malaysians, learn the lessons from burma..
Prevent Najib, Nazri, Mahataik and the rest of the UMNO goons to entrench their power to rule for eternity..
SACK THEM NOW…
WE ARE ALREADY SUFFERING FROM THEIR CORRUPTION..
petrol naik is only the beginning
Its not su ki that must be flogged. Its Asean and the Burmese generals that have committed crime against humanity. The former for condoning the acts of a murderous regime and the latter for wonton killings of its own citizens and ignoring the swift appeals to help its citizens in times of disaster.
Alas you’re back. Personally feel that there’s so much that can be done by PR for the rakyat who is suffering terribly now then to get involved with our neighbours problems. Yes, we have to think about HUMANITY but what can we do to help them, even UN has problems with them. Don’t forget that CHARITY starts at HOME (ie your country and constituencies )
Come on, Philip… cut Teresa some slack! This is her blog and the Rakyat don’t OWN her body, mind and soul.
She feels strongly – as many of us do – about human rights issues around the world, so she blogs about them occasionally. And Aung San Suu Kyi’s extended house arrest is an absolute outrage – just as the continued existence of the ISA and Kamunting are ugly pockmarks on the face on our nation. Why are YOU reading blogs instead of dedicating your time 24/7 to saving Malaysia from BN?
Carry on blogging about whatever you please, Sassy MP. Do you have time for a quick high-five? 🙂
Dear All,
I am the Secretary of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC).
It is my responsibility to push for reforms in both Malaysia and Burma.
Thank you.
“I am the Secretary of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC).
It is my responsibility to push for reforms in both Malaysia and Burma.”
– Teresa
Well said.
It’s good to apply as much pressure as possible on regimes that misbehave.
It is because of people like Sassy MP and others that dictators nowadays don’t get off scot-free.
True, in most cases, they only got a tongue lashing but there were cases where they paid a heavier penalty.
Like for instance the Serbs who massacred the Muslims in Bosnia. Many of the perpetrators were sent to jail.
If not for “busy bodies” from the Western countries, the killing would bave gone on for much longer.
You can even hark back to WW2 if you like – to people like Hitler.
Everyone was scared of being entangled with him and prefered to let him do what he wanted. And the world paid dearly for it.
Only when there are people who stand up to dictators, will there be any peace for peace loving people.
Barbaric,
the British army has ceased flogging its erant troops since the 1880’s. What year this idiotic junta is stuck in?
Dear YB..
As Secretary of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC), if you ever contribute even 0.0001 percent in freeing Suu Kyii from the hands of this useless, self serving JUNTA…..
then forever you will be my Malaysian Heroine, the story to be passed on to my future generations…
As a woman politician, it is only expected that you care for other women politicians who are terrorised by develish govt such as self appointed JUNTAs in this world.
As for Burma, if ever I have the opportunity, I will find ways to punish this devilish JUNTA.. self appointed tin=pot dictators….
if we can boycott them, we do, If i am a doctor wtih speciallist knowledge, every member of this Junta would be blacklisted from getting the service
Then AIPMC must push Myanmar to hasten reform and charge or release Su Kyi, or force Myanmar to exit ASEAN. You would need US diplomatic assistance here. Contact the US ambassador and the State Dept.
the fact that Asean is silent on all the outrage that has been going on in Myanmar the a testament of their unwillingness to stand up for human rights and welfare. It always have been business first for Asean.
Asean lost its moral rights to criticise countries that has shed blood in the course of fighting for freedom and well being, inlcuding the US, UK who had been our past colonial masters.
YB Teresa,
I must be under blacklist,
Even my supporting comments are subject to moderation while the others are NOT.
I am a fan of Su Kyi, therefore i cannot help myself but comment herein….
(Yes, your posting details auto send every of your posts for moderation. Be a good boy for next two and I may be tempted to let you off the hook. )
It’s not a surprise the military junta in Burma can hold on to power for so long. Although an Asean member, Burma depends more on countries like China and less on Asean for its economic well-being. By jailing Onn San Suu Kyi, the junta has successfully dealt with the greatest threat to their hold on power.
Unless they emulate the resolve of the Filipino people in overthrowing the dictatorship of President Marcos through People Power, Onn San Suu Kyi and her Burmese people will continue to suffer under the rule of the military junta for years to come. But which countries have the clout to stop countries like China from cooperating with the military junta? It is commendable for Sassy MP to bring up the issue of massive human rights violation in Burma
Thank you YB Teresa,
By golly, I am older than you by 20 years.
Ok then, i wont make a posting for another two years.