Lawyer: Burma Possibly Rushing Suu Kyi's Trial

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

RANGOON — Burma's military regime appeared to be rushing through the trial of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Suu Kyi, who has been in detention without trial for more than 13 of the past 19 years, is accused of violating the terms of her house arrest by allowing a visitor to stay at her home without official permission. The offense is punishable by up to five years' imprisonment.

She is standing trial with two female members of her party who live with her, and John W. Yettaw, the American man who triggered the charges by swimming to Suu Kyi's property under the cover of darkness earlier this month and sneaking uninvited into her home.

Suu Kyi had been scheduled to be freed May 27 after six consecutive years under house arrest. The charges against her are widely seen as a pretext for her to stay in detention during polls scheduled for next year—the culmination of the junta's "roadmap to democracy," which has been criticized as a fig leaf for continued military rule.

Burma has been under military rule since 1962. It last held an election in 1990, but the junta refused to honor the results after a landslide victory by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party.

Nyan Win, a party spokesman and one of her four lawyers, said five of the prosecution's 22 scheduled witnesses testified Tuesday.

"Now it is very clear that they are trying to speed up the trial," he told reporters at party headquarters. "If it goes on at this rate, it could even be over by next week."

Asked what the motive might be for speeding up the trial, he said "They must have their plans, though I don't know." Nyan Win had speculated Monday that the trial could last up to three months.

Suu Kyi's arrest last week reignited criticism of Burma's military rulers and led to renewed calls by world leaders for her immediate release.

US State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the charges against Suu Kyi were "unjustified" and called for her unconditional release and that of more than 2,100 other political prisoners.

Suu Kyi's arrest could well derail a "softer" approach that the Obama administration had been searching for to replace sanctions and other get-tough policies that have done nothing to divert the junta's iron-fisted rule.

China, which as Burma's closest ally probably has the most influence with its ruling generals, has shown no signs it will exert pressure on Burmese military government.

"Myanmar's [Burma's] issue should be decided by the Myanmar people," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said at a regular news briefing. "We hope that the relevant parties in Myanmar could realize reconciliation, stability and development through dialogue."