Yangon (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Aung San Suu Kyi has flatly denied the state’s charges, blaming police instead for the lapse in security that led to charges against her. On the eighth day of her trial for breaching the terms of her house arrest, Myanmar’s main opposition leaders said that the entry of an American man into her compound is the fault of the police.
In a press release, her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), quoted her as telling the court that “Even though the main cause of the situation that has happened is a lack of, or a breach of security [at my house], no action was taken on those responsible for the security. But only I am under prosecution and such an act is unjust.”
Aung San Suu Kyi reminded the judges that the 53-year-old American man, John Yettaw, who is probably suffering from mental problems, tried to get into her compound back in November, and that she notified the authorities right away.
“The authorities did not conduct any investigation on that and I learnt no action was taken regarding that,” she said. “Nor was I given any direction [by the authorities] to make an immediate report to them when a situation like that takes place.”
She added that she didn’t report the latest incident due to concern that it would harm both Yettaw and the security forces. She added that she had a duty to extend hospitality out of humanitarian reasons to someone who was obviously in distress.
Today her testimony comes on the 19th anniversary of the last elections held in Myanmar, which were won by the NLD by a wide margin under Aung San Suu Kyi’s leadership but never accepted by Myanmar’s ruling junta.
In its press release the main opposition party called on the government to unconditionally release all political prisoners, including party leaders Aung San Suu Kyi and Tin Oo; set proper conditions for political dialogue; allow the reopening of NLD offices across the country; allow free election campaigning in 2010 and accept the registration of political parties that were banned in the 1990.
