7 replies to this topic

[Dick]

"A Burmese court Tuesday sentenced opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to three years in prison and hard labour. The verdict however was immediately commuted to 18 months under house detention by the country's military supremo.

A special court set up in Insein Prison found Suu Kyi, 64, guilty of breaking the terms of her detention by allowing a US national to swim into her lakeside compound-cum-prison on May 3.
Burma's junta leader, Senior General Than Shwe, immediately reduced the court's three-year sentence in prison to one year and six months under house arrest."

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/08/11...al_30109574.php

[Sexpat]

"Thailand, as the Chair of Asean on Wednesday, expressed its "disappointment" over Burma's ruling on its opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The ten-member grouping which Burma is a member called for immediate release of all political prisoners including 64-year-old Aung San Suu Kyi. . .

A statement from Thai Foreign Ministry said the Asean reiterated the calls made by the 42nd Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the 16th Asean Regional Forum held in July 2009 in Phuket, for the immediate release of all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, to enable them to participate in the 2010 General Elections.

The Asean said that only the release of political prisoners would contribute to national reconciliation among the people of Burma, meaningful dialogue and facilitate the democratization of Burma. "Only free, fair and inclusive general elections will then pave the way for Myanmar (Burma)'s full integration into the international community," the statement said.

Asean member countries wish to see Burma, a fellow Asean member, be at peace, prosperous and well respected in the international community, it said. "We stand ready to cooperate with the Myanmar Government in its efforts to realize the seven steps to democracy and remain constructively engaged with Myanmar (Burma) in order to build the Asean Community together. We also continue to support the ongoing good offices of the United Nations Secretary-General and urge Myanmar's full cooperation with the United Nations," the statement said."

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/08/12...al_30109646.php

[Haloi]

Here's more diplomatic crap from the Chinese dictatorship:

"China has urged the international community to respect Myanmar's judicial sovereignty, amid growing outrage over the sentencing of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to a further 18 months under house arrest. In a statement on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for China's foreign ministry repeated China's call for all sides in Myanmar to engage in dialogue as the best course to promote stability and development.

The statement follows efforts by Western members of the United Nations Security Council to push through a statement condemning Tuesday's conviction of Aung San Suu Kyi for violating internal security laws.

China, which is a veto-wielding member of the council, is a major investor in Myanmar and has in the past blocked UN resolutions against the country and its military government.In the statement foreign ministry spokeswoman said the international community "should fully respect Myanmar's judicial sovereignty."

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pac...1929368488.html

[DOLLY]

I was remembering the way certain high leaders went to the funeral of the girl who died in the Bangkok demonstrations at Government House last year, and I was hoping that Mother's Day and the royal birthday today might be the perfect time for the same leaders to make a special effort to express their sympathy for another leader and mother, Aung San Suu Kyi. No such luck I'm also sorry to say, but I'm not surprised anymore by things that happen here. I guess i have lived here too long and lost my innocence about a lot of things.

[gay_grampa]

Whilst the sentence may be unjust, excessive and discriminatory I fail to see the necessity to headline this thread with the word "Hanging". She has not been sentenced to be hanged.

Plenty of other countries use the death penalty far more often than Burma (Myanmar) - Indeed Amnesty International lists Myanmar under the category of "ABOLITIONIST IN PRACTICE" defined as: "Countries that retain the death penalty for ordinary crimes such as murder but can be considered abolitionist in practice in that they have not executed anyone during the past 10 years and are believed to have a policy or established practice of not carrying out executions." www.amnestyusa

I wonder what the American Electric Chair Courts or the Thai Lethal Injection Courts would make of your melodramatic language?

[Haloi]

Plenty of other countries use the death penalty far more often than Burma (Myanmar)

I suppose you have excluded from your definition of the "death penalty" the thousands of Burmese dissidents, demonstrators and monks who have been gunned down on the streets, tortured in prisons until death, or just disappeared never to be seen again during the past 40 years of military dictatorship in Burma. They're all dead too and without a trial by any judge.

[gay_grampa]

I suppose you have excluded from your definition of the "death penalty" the thousands of Burmese dissidents, demonstrators and monks who have been gunned down on the streets, tortured in prisons until death, or just disappeared never to be seen again during the past 40 years of military dictatorship in Burma. They're all dead too and without a trial by any judge.

Yes, especially since they were not hanged!
The issue is the description of what the Courts do and the fact remains that since 1993 the Burmese Courts in practice do not issue death sentences. De Facto Ban on Death Penalty

Compare that to the 439 executions in the State of Texas since 1976 and the current 'death row' population in Texas of 358 and the Burmese Courts look lenient in comparison.

Similarly I have excluded the extra-judicial killing of Afghan wedding parties by the US Air Force from what 'Blood Thirsty American Courts' do.

I am not suggesting that Burma is a 'nice' place. My objection is that the title is exaggerated and overemotional.

[Bob]

No big deal but I didn't think Dick's post title was misleading at all. I thought he was describing the court involved, not the sentence. And he was (and a very apt description too).

Like North Korea, Burma is run by a bunch of rogue idiots beyond the influence of the general world. As far as I'm concerned (and while I do not like the weak condemnations and actions by many other surrounding countries), most of blame for the world's inability to do something about these two rogue regimes ought to be pointed at China for not taking the actions it should.