Saturday, November 13, 2010

Aung San Suu Kyi is free


The world's media appears to be reporting the release of Burma's democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest in Rangoon for 15 years.

His Grace is delighted by this news, and his heart soars with the jubilation of her millions of supporters, especially those of the National League for Democracy in Burma who look to her for liberation from decades of oppression and injustice.

But this is a curious development.

It is worth reminding ourselves that the military junta which governs Burma does so without much regard for either human dignity or world opinion: they continue to detain more than 2,200 political prisoners of conscience, of which Aung San Suu Kyi has been by far the most inconvenient.

But what of Ko Jimmy, recently sentenced with his wife to 65 years imprisonment for using electronic media?

And 'Zarganar', a satirist and actor who dared to criticise the ruling junta's response to Cyclone Nargis. He is presently serving a 35-year prison sentence for 'public order offences'.

Or Hla Hla Win, a journalist who interviewed some of the Buddhist monks after their protests of 2007 in which hundreds were slaughtered or imprisoned and tortured. She is serving a 20-year sentence for uploading data to the internet that was 'damaging to the security of the military regime'.

Yes, this is a day of rejoicing: Aung San Suu Kyi is free.

But free to do what, exactly?

Challenge the results of last Sunday's elections, the first to be held in 20 years, since the NLD won a landslide vote?

Is she free to address the NLD and campaign against the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party?

Is she free to speak out about the torture and plight of other political prisoners?

Is she free to organise meetings and associate with whom she wishes?

Is she free to publish and print pro-democracy literature?

Is she free to communicate via electronic media without surveillance or censorship?

Is she free to organise, campaign and stand for political office?

If not, what is this 'freedom' we are celebrating?