Suu Kyi Needs Regular Checkups: NLD

By SAW YAN NAING

Aung San Suu Kyi’s health is getting better, but she needs regular long-term medical checkups, a spokesman for the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) has said.

Speaking with The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, NLD spokesperson Nyan Win said that Pyone Mo Ei—an assistant to Suu Kyi’s family doctor—visited Suu Kyi on Monday afternoon at about 1 p.m. and spent about four hours at her lakeside house in Rangoon.

“According to the doctor, Daw Suu’s health is improving. She is getting better. There are no worries about her health at this moment,” said Nyan Win.

However, according to Pyone Mo Ei, although the Nobel Peace Prize winner can eat meals, regular long-term medical checkups are needed, said Nyan Win.

He added that Pyone Mo Ei has been told she will be allowed to visit Suu Kyi if the detained leader needs emergency treatment in the future.

Except for the condition of her health, Nyan Win said that the doctor did not report any other matters concerning Suu Kyi to him.

Suu Kyi reportedly had difficulty eating last week and was suffering from low blood pressure and dehydration. According to sources from journalists’ circles in Rangoon, Suu Kyi was also suffering from cramps due to dehydration.

Nyan Win said that Suu Kyi’s family physician, Tin Myo Win, who was arrested last Thursday while waiting to visit Suu Kyi, had not returned home. He said he had no idea where Tin Myo Win is being held.

Last week, Burmese officials arrested US citizen John William Yettaw who allegedly swam to Suu Kyi’s lakeside home and spent nearly three days there.

Tin Myo Win was detained the day after Yettaw was arrested, leading to several sources speculating that the Burmese military authorities suspected that Tin Myo Win and Yettaw may have had some connection, in which case Suu Kyi’s personal physician could face serious charges.

The doctor’s detention and the case of the Inya Lake swimmer coincide with the expiration of Suu Kyi’s detention at the end of May. Her lawyers have been sending letters of appeal to the junta leaders requesting her release.

US Embassy spokesman Richard Mei told Associated Press that the embassy has requested access to the detained US man, which as of Monday had still not been granted. He confirmed that Yettaw had made a previous visit to Burma, and said his family had been told of his arrest.

Meanwhile, a pro-regime Web site, tharkinwe.com, included several details of John William Yettaw that do not seem to be otherwise publicly available, suggesting that they were leaked by security officials.

It reported that Yettaw admitted that he swam to Suu Kyi's house during his previous visit to Burma on November 7-December 3, 2008, and spent a longer period there, although no specific time was given in the report. It cited him saying that he had scouted his swimming route using the Google Earth Web service, according to an AP report on Tuesday.

The Web site reported that on arrival last week at Suu Kyi's house, Yettaw first met Suu Kyi’s two female assistants—a mother and daughter, who are her sole companions—and told them that he was tired and hungry after the swim and that he has diabetes. The two women were said to have given him meals. The assistants have not been detained.