Burma’s iconic opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is uninjured and ”in good spirits”, according to the first foreigner to see her since her motorcade was ambushed by government supporters and she was detained on May 30.
The United Nations (UN) special envoy to Burma, Razali Ismail, was allowed to meet the Nobel Peace Prize laureate yesterday for just over 30 minutes. He failed to obtain her release but said generals had assured him she would be freed ”as soon as possible” from ”protective custody”.
There had been fears that Suu Kyi was badly hurt or even killed in the ambush, in which the military claims four people died. Activists say dozens were killed.
But after the meeting at a defence ministry guesthouse in Rangoon, the Malaysian diplomat said: ”I can assure you she is well and in good spirits … no injury on the face, arm. No injury. No scratch, nothing.”
He added that she had been ”as feisty as ever”, but could not elaborate on when she might be freed from her detention at a secret location.
In a statement last night the Deputy Foreign Minister, Khin Maung Win, said the ”safe custody measures” imposed on Suu Kyi were ”temporary and … will be lifted as soon as the situation remains normal [sic]”.
Razali said Suu Kyi was being held ”incommunicado”, and had no news of several dozen colleagues in the National League for Democracy (NLD) who were detained or placed under house arrest on May 30, or in the ensuing crackdown. There is particular concern about the NLD’s frail deputy leader, U Tin Oo (75) after the ambush.
Razali said the clash had ”woken up a lot of people in [Burma] itself as to the need of moving the [reconciliation] process very quickly”.
He said Suu Kyi — whose mounting popularity is thought to be the reason for her incarceration — and her colleagues had to be freed.
”The government has to let her out if they want to continue with national reconciliation. They can’t do it with one party being locked in,” he said.
It is still not clear what happened when the motorcade was attacked near Mandalay. The UN envoy said Suu Kyi had told him she saw little because she was at the front of the convoy and was whisked away.
Exiles and diplomats in Burma believe a government-run militia, backed by prison inmates released for the day, carried out the attack. – Guardian Unlimited Â