Suu Kyi loses court battle
Friday, 12 November 2010
YANGON, Nov 11(AP): Myanmar's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi suffered her latest courtroom loss Thursday but close aides remained optimistic that she will soon be granted freedom from house arrest in the military-ruled country.
The 65-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner is due to complete her sentence on Saturday, nearly a week after the country held elections that excluded Suu Kyi and were widely criticized as a sham. The junta has not confirmed that she will be set free but government officials have quietly said they are making "necessary security preparations" for this weekend.
Suu Kyi already has stated that she may re-enter the political fray, saying through lawyers she would investigate allegations of fraud in the election once released, meaning she may run afoul of the government again soon.
The youngest of Suu Kyi's two sons, Kim Aris, also was granted a Myanmar visa earlier this week, said her lawyer Nyan Win, in an indication that he will be allowed to see his mother for the first time in 10 years. The 33-year-old Aris lives in Britain and has repeatedly been denied visas for years.
Suu Kyi has been detained for 15 of the past 21 years but was never convicted of any crime until August 2009. She was sentenced to 18 months of additional house arrest for violating an earlier period of house arrest by briefly sheltering an uninvited American who swam to her home.
The 65-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner is due to complete her sentence on Saturday, nearly a week after the country held elections that excluded Suu Kyi and were widely criticized as a sham. The junta has not confirmed that she will be set free but government officials have quietly said they are making "necessary security preparations" for this weekend.
Suu Kyi already has stated that she may re-enter the political fray, saying through lawyers she would investigate allegations of fraud in the election once released, meaning she may run afoul of the government again soon.
The youngest of Suu Kyi's two sons, Kim Aris, also was granted a Myanmar visa earlier this week, said her lawyer Nyan Win, in an indication that he will be allowed to see his mother for the first time in 10 years. The 33-year-old Aris lives in Britain and has repeatedly been denied visas for years.
Suu Kyi has been detained for 15 of the past 21 years but was never convicted of any crime until August 2009. She was sentenced to 18 months of additional house arrest for violating an earlier period of house arrest by briefly sheltering an uninvited American who swam to her home.