Yangon junta closes a NLD centre for AIDS sufferers, 82 patients at risk
Yangon (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Burmese Ministry of Health has ordered the evacuation of a centre for people with AIDS / HIV in Yangon, led by members of the banned opposition party National League for Democracy (NLD). According to the government the centre "lacks the necessary hygiene conditions” those responsible for the structure contend that the ordinance is a way to" exert pressure "after a visit by Aung San Suu Kyi last week. Today, meanwhile, the Nobel Peace Laureate visited the Shwedagon Pagoda with her second son Kim Aris and harshly attacked the Indian government, accusing it of doing business with the military dictatorship.
The Burmese official newspaper Myanma Ahlin reports that "officials of the Ministry of Health in July and August, having inspected the center, found it to be lacking in hygiene standards" so that "some patients are at risk of infection" because of overcrowding. Guests at the centre - 82, including children - must now leave the property, even if they have nowhere to go. Leaders strongly reject the accusations and link the measure to Aung San Suu Kyi’s visit to the sick. The opposition leader has promised to deliver much needed medicine to the center, run by supporters of the NLD. Harsh condemnation of the International AIDS Society (IAS), which describes the move as "political", and calls for "freedom of choice of care” for the sick and warns," an interruption or change in treatment could have irreversible consequences for patients. "
Today, meanwhile, Aung San Suu Kyi, with her son 30 year-old Kim Aris, visited the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, the most famous and sacred Buddhist temple across the country. For Burmese political prisoners it is a tradition to visit the temple after release. The "Lady" wanted to visit the pagoda with her second son, whom she had not seen for over 10 years, and who arrived in town yesterday after receiving a visa to enter Myanmar from the junta leaders. Local sources report that, there were plainclothes security officers among the crowd.
The leader of the Burmese democratic opposition criticized the Indian government for doing business with the junta at the expense of the population. In the past New Delhi has strongly supported the democratic struggle of Aung San Suu Kyi, but in the mid 90s developed links with the dictatorship in energy (oil and natural gas), security and to limit China's influence . The Nobel Peace laureate said she was "saddened" by the attitude of the Indian government, from which she expected more support on the basis of the "teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and [the first Indian prime minister] Jawaharlal Nehru".
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