I’m hoping this letter finds you well and in excellent spirits for the coming holiday. I know, I know, it’s been quite awhile since you last heard from me–trying to go it alone now, even though it looks like I might have mucked things up a bit. Anyway, since I’ve been pretty good this year, and because you’re a busy man and you hate last minute requests, I thought I’d send you my wish list right now, in plenty of time for Christmas:

1. I need a new car: Yes, I said need and not want, because it’s been well over a decade and the time has come for a new set of wheels, which is why it’s number one here on my list. However, before you say “Ah-hah, one of those little Smart Cars ought to do the trick,” I just want to add that my taste in automobiles is pretty much the same as it was in my Lincoln-Continental days. That is to say that, although I do appreciate fuel economy, I’m simply not a small-car gal, and, if you take into consideration my frugal ways regarding energy consumption, I really do think I could be trusted with, say, a Cadillac. (I’ll leave the color to you.)
2. A new computer: Now on this one there’s a little room for compromise. Meaning, a newer computer will suit me just fine, as long as it comes equipped with a decent printer and the design programs and Apps I’ve grown accustomed to having and that, as both an artist and writer, I’ve come to rely upon. (Be careful with it on the stairs, please. They can be rather tricky in the dark.)
3. New boots: Size eight, but don’t forget to add a half size for a pair of thick wool socks, or in the event that they may come with a lining. Also, I’m going to have to be somewhat picky here because I’ve been investigating this and, seriously, there are a lot of ugly boots in the market lately. Sure, a beggar can’t be choosy but, geesh, no man-made materials or space-age designs, please. And, as is customary, no less than 1 1/2 inch heels. (If you remember, a two-inch heel with a tall shaft typically works best for me, and, by the way, laces are perfectly all right, too, though pull-ons or zip-ups would also be cool. As to the theme, I’m leaning toward western or combat this year, something that balances the concept of kick-ass with cute, but I want a square toe, nothing round or pointed. Again, you may pick the color scheme.)
4. Books: Books have gotten soooo expensive of late. Not my books, of course, but most everyone else’s are just out of this world now. I know you read a lot so, if you can toss a few of your favourites under the tree, I’d be grateful. Per usual, hardcovers are most desirable to me and, yes, I still prefer non-fiction over any other category, with biographies heading up the list. But don’t even trouble yourself with those so called “Bestsellers” as I’ve learned from experience that such lists are thoroughly rigged and, thus, cannot assure a quality read anymore. (In short, just find some truly good books if you can, irrespective of who may have authored them, and surprise me!)
5. Firewood: Yup, you’re right, this request is not for myself but for the Landlady, who, I can vouch for, has been just terrific every single day of the year. If you could deliver her a full cord as opposed to a face cord, and see to it that it’s all split and neatly stacked right outside the door–her door, not mine–that would be really great. (She’s a rugged individual, but she turns sixty this year and, unfortunately, so does her back.)
6. Something for the cats: I know I can speak for my Landlady here when I say that the animus between our animals must end, ASAP. Regrettably, we are at a loss ourselves as to how to achieve this, for, in truth, we have tried everything we could think of, and yet my poor (snooty) Princess is still actively stalked by Lord Findlay (pronounced finn-lee) and lives virtually every waking moment in certain dread of him. Therefore, I am suggesting a gift for these two otherwise exemplary and very well-behaved kitties that explores the idea and possibility of sharing, even though I have no idea what that would potentially resemble. (Having said this much, however, I implore you not to supply them with a chipmunk, bunny, bird, or the like, because neither of their humans have a stomach for murder and mayhem, and, moreover, such a present isn’t likely to bring about the spirit of cooperation we are hoping for and constantly seeking.)
7. Democracy in Burma: In light of how many times I’ve brought this subject up in the past two decades, I’m aware that it may seem I’m harping on it, but within that time span nothing has changed in Burma but its name–the military junta is still in power and the duly elected leader still remains under house arrest, a situation that is not only beneath her but which is negatively impacting her health overall, as well as that of her nation. I understand when it comes to issues like world peace you prefer to look at the big picture, which I respect, but I truly think this is a matter that requires your closer scrutiny. Thus, I am requesting once again that you free Aung San Suu Kyi for Christmas and, if that’s too short notice for you to act upon, then at least in time for her to participate in Burma’s election next year. (I’d be willing to trade the new car in exchange for this, but I can’t budge an inch for a new computer.)

Now, obviously poor Burma isn’t the only place in the world with bad people living in it and, quite frankly, I can name plenty of them dwelling right here in my own hemisphere. I’m only mentioning this just in case any of these individuals have requested a new home-entertainment system from you, for which you have, on proper review, deemed them completely unworthy. Mine, as you’ve probably already heard, went and kicked the bucket on me this month and, as a result, I haven’t been able to watch a home-movie for weeks now on end. (But, since it’s arguable that I could be constructively utilizing all that extra time to finish work on my new novel, I’ll just have to leave this one to your discretion.)

Well, that just about covers everything this year, and, notwithstanding that my wish list is rather short, I think you’ll find it nevertheless comprehensive. Naturally, I have omitted many smaller items from it that might conveniently fit into a stocking. Should you decide to indulge me, you’ll find those hung (with care) beside the broken television, as I no longer have a chimney to speak of. On that note, you’ll also find my new digs kind of small and a bit cramped to work in, for which I apologize in advance. As to me, you’ll see I’m much older than the last time we met, although, I suspect, fairly recognizable. Some things, however, will never change so, yes, I’m still a very light sleeper, but don’t worry about that; I will, as agreed to in the past, pretend that I’m not awake when you get here. By the way, remember to look for your glass of milk on the table by the door. Per usual, it will not be warm, but it will be spiked with good rum, so go easy on it if you’ve got more stops to make. Also, I don’t know if you’re watching your sugar these days, but I’m going to put out a plate of gingersnaps for you, too. (They’re low-fat, low-cal and low-carb, so you might want to give them a try anyway.)

Looking forward to seeing you again, old friend. Have a safe trip and drive carefully!

Your friend, Francine

PS. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Many Burmese Monks Arrested

By KO HTWE Saturday, September 26, 2009 Irrawaddy

Detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has written a letter to the head of Burma’s ruling junta with suggestions about how to get Western sanctions lifted, according to her lawyer.

“Aung San Suu Kyi’s letter is her thinking on how to work together to lift the sanctions,” Nyan Win, Suu Kyi’s lawyer, told The Irrawaddy on Friday.

According to diplomatic sources, Suu Kyi also asked for permission to meet with her family and senior members of her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), and requested a meeting with the junta’s top general, Snr-Gen Than Shwe.

Suu Kyi said that she wants to know how many sanctions have been imposed on Burma and how many people are negatively impacted by them. She also said she wants to hear the opinions of other countries through their ambassadors based in Burma, according to Nyan Win.

“To implement the proposal for lifting sanctions, we need to know all things,” Suu Kyi told Nyan Win. The letter will be sent to Snr-Gen Than Shwe in a few days, he added.

News of Suu Kyi’s letter comes two days after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced plans for a major policy shift that will include engaging with Burma’s military junta as part of an effort to promote political reform in the country.

Suu Kyi last asked the Burmese junta to cooperate with her to lift sanctions in 2007.

She said that sanctions could be lifted for the benefit of the country and its citizens, but added that she could not end the sanctions herself because they were imposed by the West, not her.
Suu Kyi said she agreed with the Obama administration’s plans to engage in direct high-level talks with the junta, according to Nyan Win.

Clinton announced the new US approach on Wednesday at the United Nations after meeting with counterparts from a number of countries that are trying to convince Burma’s authoritarian regime to reform, allow dissent and release thousands of political prisoners, including Suu Kyi.

Clinton said US sanctions against members of Burma’s leadership would remain in place but that those measures would now be accompanied by outreach. Clinton had earlier stated that the sanctions alone were having little impact.

The United States and European Union have imposed sanctions on Burma due to its continued detention of Suu Kyi and its refusal to recognize the NLD’s victory in the country’s last election in 1990.

The junta sentenced the 64-year-old Suu Kyi to an extra 18 months in detention at her lakeside home in August after an incident in which an American man swam uninvited to her house.

Suu Kyi, Junta Liaison Officer Hold Meeting

By WAI MOE

Source: Asian Human Rights Commission
Date: 24 Sep 2009

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) welcomes the release of prisoners from jails around Burma during the last week, especially human rights defenders and persons who were detained during and after the protests of August and September 2007, including numbers of persons on whose cases the AHRC has issued urgent appeals. However, it notes with grave concern the reports of torture that some detainees experienced during interrogation. The physical and mental injuries caused in this period were either not adequately treated or not treated at all during the detainees’ incarceration, causing some of them lifelong damage. Among those cases that have been reported in the media:

Ko Myo Yan Naung Thein, a former technical institute student, was assaulted by unknown assailants and taken from a march during September 2007; he suffered injuries to his nerves during torture under interrogation and did not get adequate treatment in Sittwe Prison; he is now reportedly unable to walk.

Ko Bo Bo, a former student leader also known as Ko Moe Kyaw Thu, had been imprisoned on a range of charges since 1992. He told Radio Free Asia (RFA) that after his arrest he was taken to a military intelligence unit in Rangoon where he was hooded and repeatedly assaulted, denied water and refused access to a toilet. During his term at Ohboe Jail he was twice seriously assaulted, in 2000 and 2005, causing him to suffer constant headaches. U Aung Myint, who was also detained after September 2007 and jailed on a two-year sentence at Myaungmya, of which he served nearly the full time, also told RFA that he and other prisoners had been tortured and had not received timely medical attention during imprisonment.

The AHRC believes that there will have been many other instances of torture and assault during interrogation and imprisonment followed by a subsequent lack of appropriate treatment–constituting an additional form of cruel and inhuman treatment and punishment–among the persons released last week. It is also aware that such treatment is by no means confined to cases of political detainees. Torture and abuse of persons in custody is endemic across all types of cases in Burma, and had ordinary criminal detainees also been interviewed many, perhaps most, would have had similar stories to tell.

Accordingly, the Asian Human Rights Commission takes this opportunity to again call for the maximum amount of global effort to have the mandate of the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit detention facilities in Burma renewed without further delay. Although renewal of the mandate–which the group suspended in 2005 because of the government’s failure to respect its internationally-recognized conditions–cannot fully prevent torture or protect detainees from abuse, it would be a practical and quickly-implementable step to reduce the incidence of abuse and ameliorate some of its worst consequences.

Renewal of the ICRC prison visits mandate is long overdue. There is absolutely no reason for the government of Burma to object to the visits, given that the agency is bound by confidentiality, and the visits cost the government nothing. If then this much cannot be done, what good can be said of the release of a few thousand shattered bodies, while tens of thousands more continue to have the same types of abuses heaped upon them daily?

BANGKOK, Sep 23 (IPS) – Having released more than 7,000 prisoners in the last few days as part of the preparations for next year’s planned polls, Burma’s military rulers are up to their old tricks, according to Burmese activists and human rights groups.

Most of those released are petty criminals, although around 200 political prisoners are among the freed.

At least 127 political prisoners have been freed, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners – Burma (AAPPB) in Thailand, which closely monitors the situation inside the junta-ruled South-east Asian state.

So far more than 40 members of Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, have been freed, three of whom were elected as members of parliament in 1990.

Six members of the 88 Generation Students group, who were sentenced to more than 60 years in jail for their alleged part in organising the Buddhist monk-led mass protests two years ago against rising food prices, were also among those released from jail. Four monks arrested after the Saffron Revolt in 2007, four journalists, 13 students and a lawyer were also freed, according to the AAPPB.

“These releases are a showcase to ease international pressure,” Bo Kyi, the head of the AAPPB, told Inter Press Service. “We expect more than 200 to be released within the next few days.” The government’s announcement last week that exactly 7,114 prisoners were to be released on compassionate grounds came on the eve of the anniversary of the current military rulers ceasing power in a bloody coup on Sep. 18, 1988, and the start of the U.N. annual meeting, to be attended by the Burmese prime minister, General Thein Sein – the highest junta leader to attend the U.N. session in more than 15 years. It is usually the foreign minister and a large team of diplomats who defend the regime during these U.N. proceedings.

“The choice of 7,114 prisoners clearly smacks of the influence of astrologers,” said Bertil Lintner, a writer and Burma specialist based in Thailand. The regime’s leaders are known to consult astrologers to establish the most auspicious dates and times for key events, and number like this.

Saturday, 19 September 2009

Breaking News – For immediate release 14:35

Breaking News – For immediate release 14:35

At least 87 political prisoners released

(Mae Sot – Thailand)

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) (AAPP) can confirm that so far 87 political prisoners have been released from 16 different prisons in Burma.

The 87 released include 36 members of the National League for Democracy, including 3 MPs; 15 women; 11 former political prisoners; 4 monks; 4 journalists; 6 members of the 88 Generation Students; and 1 lawyer.

On the evening of September 17, 2009 in Rangoon, state-run MRTV carried a news bulletin announcing that 7,114 prisoners were to be released “on humanitarian grounds.”

The list of political prisoners released will be continually updated at our web site www.aappb.org as AAPP receives more information.

1. Eimt Khaing Oo, Female (Insein prison) – journalist; Cyclone Nargis volunteer

2. Tin Mya (Insein prison) – National League for Democracy Township chairperson, Former Political Prisoner

3. Nyi Nyi Min (Buthidaung prison) – NLD member

4. Kyaw Kyaw Thant (Insein prison) – journalist; Cyclone Nargis volunteer

5. Monywar Aung Shin (a) U Aye Kyu (Insein prison) – Member of NLD and poet

6. Nine Nine (Insein prison) – NLD MP, Former Political Prisoner

7. Tin Tin Myint, (Female) (Insein prison) – third year chemistry student

8. Than Than Htay, (Female) (Insein prison) – student

9. Than Than Sint, (Female) (Insein prison)

10. Thin Min Soe, (Female) (Insein prison) – labour activist

11. Kyi Kyi Min, (Female) (Insein prison) – NLD member

12. Zaw Htet Aung (Kale prison) – student

13. Tin Myo Htut (a) Kyaw Oo (Insein prison) – Generation Wave; former political prisoner

14. Win Myint (Insein prison) – NLD member

15. Kyaw Maung (Myitkyina prison) – NLD MP

16. Nay Win (Myintkyina prison) – NLD Township Organizer

17. Kyi Lin (Myintkyina prison) – NLD member

18. Soe Wai (a) Than Zaw (Myitkyina prison)

19. Shin Sandaw Batha, Monk (Insein prison) – All Burma Monks’ Alliance

20. Aung Gyi (Insein prison) – student

21. Mi Mi Sein, (Female) (Insein prison) – NLD Township Joint-Secretary

22. Soe Han (Lashio prison) – lawyer; Chair of the National League for Democracy’s (NLD) legal advisory body

23. Bo Gyi (Pegu prison)

24. Khin Khin Lay (a) Khin Lay, (Female) (Pegu prison) – NLD member

25. Pe Tin (Pegu prison) – NLD member

26. Tin Myint (Insein prison) – NLD member

27. Cho Mar Htwe, (Female) (Moulmein prison) – NLD member

28. Moe Hlaing (Moulmein prison)

29. Moe Lwin (Moulmein prison) – individual activist

30. Myo Min Lwin (Moulmein prison)

31. Ma Htay (a) San San Myint, (Female) (Insein prison)

32. Thet Oo (Taungoo prison) – Human Rights Defenders and Promoters member

33. U Pannita (a) Myint Aye (Taungoo prison) – monk; Human Rights Defenders and Promoters member

34. Zaw Tun (Taungoo prison)

35. Bo Bo (Myingyan prison)

36. Sandar, (Female) (Myingyan prison) – NLD member

37. Pyae Phyo Aung (a) Hnan Mue (Pa-An prison)

38. Wunna Soe (Pa-An prison) – Democratic Party for a New Society member

39. Ba Chit (Tharawaddy prison) – Ex-captain in the army

40. Aye Min (a) Aye Min Min (Tharawaddy prison) – private tutor

41. Tin Tun (a) Kyaw Swa (Tharawaddy prison) – UN Development Program staff (New Era journal distributor)

42. Shwe Thar (a) Tin Win (Tharawaddy prison) – Karen National Union member

43. Hlaing Aye (Kale prison) – NLD MP, Former Political Prisoner

44. San Pwint (Kale prison) – NLD member; teacher

45. Thet Zin (a) Maung Zin (Kale prison) – journalist; former political prisoner; member of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions and the Democratic Party for a New Society

46. Michael Win Kyaw (Kale prison) – 88 Generation Students member; former political prisoner

47. Nyo Mya (Kale prison) – NLD member

48. Ba Min (Kale prison) – NLD member

49. Aung Gyi @ Aung Thwin (Shwebo prison) – journalist, former political prisoner, 88 Generation Students

50. Aung Myo (Shwebo prison) – NLD Township Organiser

51. Than Tun (Shwebo prison)

52. Maung Maung Htwe (Shwebo prison)

53. Tin Maung Nyunt (Shwebo prison) – NLD Township Organiser

54. Tun Tun Oo (a) Nanda Malar (Taungoo prison) – monk

55. Aung Swe (Shwebo prison) – NLD member

56. Khin Maung Thein (Shwebo prison) – NLD member

57. Maw Si (Shwebo prison) – NLD Youth member

58. U Zawana (a) Soe Myint (Taungoo prison) – monk

59. Than Min (a) Tin Tun Aung, (Taungoo prison) – NLD member

60. Tun Oo (a) Ngar Kalar (Taungoo prison)

61. Aung Naing (Insein prison) – NLD member

62. Khin Moe Aye (a) Moe Moe (Female), (Myingyan prison) – 88 Generation Students member; former political prisoner

63. Khaing Kaung Zan, (Thayet prison) – Arakan League for Democracy in exile member

64. Htay Win, (Thayet prison) – NLD Township Organizer

65. Thar Cho, (Thayet prison) – NLD Township Organizer

66. Tun Tun Nyein, (Thayet prison) – NLD Youth member

67. Saw Taw Kyi (Thayet prison) – Karen National Union member

68. Zin Mar Aung (female) (Mandalay prison) – student; NLD member

69. Moe Kyaw Thu (a) Bo Bo (Mandalay prison)

70. Myint Oo (a) Ni Ni (Mandalay prison) – NLD Township organizer; former political prisoner

71. Tin Mar Swe (female) (Mandalay prison)

72. Yan Naing Min (a) Nan Wai (Mandalay prison) – student

73. Angaelay (Mandalay prison) – student

74. Yan Aung Shwe (Thayet prison) – All Burma Students Democratic Front member

75. Myint Oo (Thayet prison) – NLD Township Joint Secretary

76. Sandar Min (a) Shwee, (Myaungmya prison) – 88 Generation Students, Former Political Prisoner

77. San Ya (Tharawaddy prison) – NLD member

78. Thein Zaw (Tharawaddy prison)

79. Than Zaw Oo (Tharawaddy prison) – NLD member

80. U Han Sein (Tharawaddy prison) – NLD member

81. Aung Tun (Tharawaddy prison) – student; member of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions

82. Tun Hla (Tharawaddy prison)

83. Kyaw Win (Tharawaddy prison) – All Burma Students Democratic Front

84. Aung Ko Oo (Tharawaddy prison) – student

85. Tin Myint (Tharawaddy prison)

86. Myo Yan Naung Thein (Thandwe prison) – 88 Generation Students member, former political prisoner

87. Min Min Soe (Myingyan prison) – 88 Generation Students member

-ENDS-

RANGOON — Detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi welcomes a US initiative to step up contacts with Burma’s military government, a spokesman for her political party said Thursday.

Nyan Win, spokesman for the National League for Democracy party, said Suu Kyi agreed with plans announced by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Obama administration to engage in direct high-level talks with the junta as part of efforts to promote democracy in Burma.

Washington has for many years taken a hard-line approach toward the junta, applying political and economic sanctions while trying to keep it isolated.

Nyan Win spoke after he met Suu Kyi at her home, where she is serving her latest term of house arrest. He and other lawyers are involved in her appeal of her 18-month sentence for violating the terms of her previous house arrest by allowing an uninvited American visitor in May to stay for two days.

“Suu Kyi said she accepted the idea of engagement by the US administration. She said she has always espoused engagement. However, (she) suggested that engagement had to be done with both sides—the government as well as the democratic forces,” Nyan Win said.

Clinton announced the new US approach Wednesday at the United Nations after meeting with counterparts from a number of countries that are trying to convince Burma’s authoritarian regime to reform, allow dissent and release thousands of political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi.

Clinton said US sanctions against members of Burma’s leadership would remain in place but that those measures would now be accompanied by outreach. For months, Clinton had lamented that the sanctions alone were having little impact.

“We believe that sanctions remain important as part of our policy, but by themselves they have not produced the results that had been hoped for on behalf of the people of Burma,” Clinton told reporters, using the country’s traditional name.

“Engagement versus sanctions is a false choice in our opinion,” she said. “So, going forward we will be employing both of those tools, pursuing our same goals.”

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Friday, September 25, 2009

Thailandon Thursday announced the first “effective” trial of an HIV/Aids vaccine on some 16,000 volunteers, although the efficacy rate was not sufficient for use.
“It is found that the vaccine has 31.2-per-cent efficacy in reducing the risk of HIV infection,” Health Minister Withaya Kaewparadai told a press conference.

“The outcome represents a breakthrough in HIV vaccine development because for the first time ever there is evidence that HIV vaccine has preventative efficacy,” he added.

While describing the trial outcome as a positive step forward in the so-far unsuccessful search for an HIV/Aids virus, Withaya acknowledged that the efficacy rate was not high enough to put the vaccine into use.continue
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/09/24/national/national_30112983.php

FBR REPORT: The Loss of a Ranger: Di Gay Htoo

Posted in Asia with tags Burma, Free Burma Rangers, Karen, Karen National Liberation Army on September 20, 2009 by buffalohair

Ms Suu Kyi’s conviction drew widespread international condemnation

A Burmese court will give its verdict on opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s appeal against her extended house arrest next month, her lawyers said.

Government and defence lawyers made their final arguments in a Rangoon hearing that was closed to Ms Suu Kyi.

She was found guilty of violating the terms of her house arrest after a US intruder stayed at her home.

Ms Suu Kyi was sentenced to a further 18 months’ house arrest, which will keep her out of elections next year.

She has already spent 14 of the past 20 years in detention.

Prisoner amnesty

Her appeal hearing came a day after Burma’s military rulers announced they would grant amnesty to more than 7,000 prisoners.

They were expected to be released on Friday to mark the 21st anniversary of the seizure of power by the military junta.

Twenty political prisoners are reported to be among those to be released, including two prominent members of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) and two journalists jailed for their reporting of Cyclone Nargis last year.

Human Rights Watch has reported that the number of political prisoners in Burma has doubled in two years, to 2,200.

Burma has been ruled by its military since 1962. The NLD won elections in 1990 but the military never allowed it to take power.

Meanwhile, there have been at least seven explosions in the northern part of Burma’s main city, Rangoon.

A Burmese official said there was minor damage but no casualties.

Information coming out of Burma is tightly controlled by the military government and there has been no indication of who may have been behind the blasts.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8262175.stm

Page last updated at 11:08 GMT, Friday, 18 September 2009 12:08 UK

CNN

Suu Kyi lawyers appeal house arrest

Burmese shout slogans during a demonstration in Tokyo on August 23.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/09/18/suukyi.appeal/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

( မေခ်ာအိသိမ္း ဘေလာ့ မွ.. )

စက္တင္ဘာ ႏွစ္လည္ အမွတ္တရ-

Court Accepts Suu Kyi’s Appeal

The Rangoon Division court has agreed to hear an appeal against an August 11 judgment that found Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi guilty of violating the terms of her house arrest, according to her lawyer.

“The court accepted our appeal and told us to meet for a hearing on September 18,” Nyan Win, a lawyer for Suu Kyi, told The Irrawaddy on Friday.

According to Nyan Win, the decision was a good sign.

“We have more hope than we did before. She must be released unconditionally because she didn’t break any law,” he said.

The appeal was submitted to the Rangoon Division Court on Thursday. Suu Kyi’s lawyers hope to overturn her conviction on charges of allowing an American intruder to stay in her home for two days.

Nyan Win said the appeal was based on 11 submissions, but he declined to elaborate.

Suu Kyi was sentenced to a further 18 months of house arrest on August 11 after being found guilty of breaking the terms of her detention by sheltering the American intruder, John Yettaw.

Suu Kyi has been detained for more than 14 of the past 20 years.

Meanwhile, she has asked the junta to allow visits by her doctor and to approve a plan to renovate her home and improve its security. Nyan Win said no reply has yet been received to her request.

Suu Kyi to Boost Security at Her House

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

RANGOON — Detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi plans to repair her dilapidated two-story home to improve security, after an American’s high-profile intrusion led to her house arrest being extended, lawyers said Tuesday.

Suu Kyi wants to reinforce two balconies on the upper floor, which have only glass doors, and meet with an architect to discuss other renovations, said lawyer Nyan Win.

The 64-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate is “very keen to have her house repaired, mainly for security reasons,” Nyan Win said.

American John Yettaw sneaked uninvited into her lakeside compound in May this year, even though she was under house arrest and the home was under round-the-clock police guard.

A Burmese court found the 64-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate guilty of violating the terms of her detention by sheltering Yettaw for two days. She was sentenced to three years in prison with hard labor, but junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe reduced the sentence to 18 months of additional house arrest. Yettaw received a seven-year sentence, but was deported on August 16 shortly after his conviction for what the government said was humanitarian reason.

During the trial, Suu Kyi was imprisoned at Burma’s notorious Insein Prison. While she was away, authorities put up barbed wire at the back of her compound to prevent future lakeside entries. A section of University Avenue, where her house is located, is totally blocked by a barbed-wire barricade, with no traffic allowed.

Suu Kyi had minor repairs carried out on the home in her absence and an architect visited to begin evaluations for future renovations, said Nyan Win. Suu Kyi has not yet met with the architect, Nyan Win said, and it was not immediately known if such a visit would be allowed by the junta.

Suu Kyi, who is an avid reader, is also considering changes to the home’s interior such as converting one room into a library and reading room, said Nyan Win.

Suu Kyi and her two female companions returned to her tightly guarded home August 11, the day she was convicted. She has been detained for about 14 of the past 20 years, mostly under house arrest, for her nonviolent promotion of democracy. The latest 18-month sentence ensures that Suu Kyi cannot participate in elections scheduled for next year. Her party swept elections in 1990 but the results have never been honored by the military, which has ruled the country since 1962.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=16693

The Obama Administration on Thursday indicated that its policy review on Burma is could be completed in the next few weeks.

The acceleration of the Burma review process, which was started by the Obama Administration in February this year, follows recent developments including the visit to Burma of Sen James Webb and the extension of house arrest for the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

“I would expect that in light of recent developments, we would advance that review and reach some judgments in the next few weeks,” said Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P J Crowley at the daily State Department news conference.

Last week, Crowley had said that extension of house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi would have a negative impact on the review process.

On his return from Burma, Webb briefed officials at the State Department on the talks he had with the Sen-Gen Than Shwe and Aung San Suu Kyi. He was the first American lawmaker to visit Burma in a decade. Webb is expected to meet Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after her vacation.

Noting that the focus of the Obama Administration on Burma has multiple dimensions, Crowley said: “One of the dimensions is their continued detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, and 2,100 other political prisoners.  Our second dimension is the ethnic conflict that continues in Burma and what we could do to try to encourage a broader dialogue within Burma.

“We have an interest in seeing Burma stabilize,” he said. “We have an interest in seeing Burma end its isolation.  How we do that is a subject of review.”

Meanwhile lawyers of Suu Kyi said they will submit an appeal to the Divisional Court in Rangoon next week against the criminal conviction that put the democracy leader under house arrest for 18 more months.

Nyan Win, one of the lawyers and spokesperson for National League for Democracy, said the lawyers met Suu Kyi for two hours on Thursday afternoon to finalize details of her appeal.

Aung San Suu Kyi; Do Not Dishonor Her!

Sandro Tucci / Getty Images

The conviction of Aung San Suu Kyi, pictured here before her longtime house arrest, shows how insecure the junta feels.

Judicial Terror

Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi

A Transforming Power story from the film, Beyond Rangoon. In Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace laureate, nonviolently faces the guns of government troops during a protest.

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