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May 26, 2009

Aung San Suu Kyi Testifies in Trial
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=247188C:A6F02AD83191E160461A622CAE394305F47489ACC27D21EE&
 
Burma's opposition leader denies charges that she violated terms of her
house arrest by permitting American intruder to stay at her home earlier
this month 
Aung San Suu Kyi (2008 file)Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
has denied charges that she violated the terms of her house arrest by
permitting an American intruder to stay at her home earlier this month.
The Nobel Peace laureate asserted her innocence Tuesday during testimony
at the trial at Insein prison in Rangoon, where she has been held since
her arrest earlier this month. Aung San Suu Kyi told the court one of
her live-in caretakers told her that John Yettaw had arrived at her home
after swimming across a lake in the early morning hours of May 4. She
testified that she gave Yettaw "temporary shelter" until he left before
midnight the next day. She also told the court she did not inform
military authorities about Yettaw's intrusion. Tuesday, for the second
time during the week-long trial, Burma's military authorities allowed
foreign diplomats and journalists to attend the day's proceedings. Aung
San Suu Kyi's trial has caused an international outcry. Asian and
European Union foreign ministers meeting in Vietnam issued a joint
statement Tuesday that mentioned Aung San Suu Kyi. The ministers wrote
that, in light of her trial, they are calling for the "early release of
all those under detention" in Burma and for the lifting of the
government's restrictions on political parties. Several members of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, have expressed grave
concern over Aung San Suu Kyi's trial. A group of ASEAN lawmakers are
calling for Burma's membership in the regional bloc to be suspended if
she continues to be detained. Critics say Burma's military leaders are
using the trial as a pretext to keep the opposition leader under
detention so she cannot participate in next year's elections. Her
National League for Democracy won Burma's 1990 elections, but the
military refused to relinquish power. The 63-year-old pro-democracy
leader faces up to five years in jail if convicted. Her two caretakers
and Yettaw himself are also facing trial. Her lawyers say she asked him
to leave 
but allowed the American to stay after he said he was too exhausted and
ill to swim back. Yettaw, who entered Burma on a tourist visa, has said
he dreamt the opposition leader would be assassinated and traveled to
Burma to warn her. Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for 13
of the past 19 years. Nyan Win, a spokesman for her party, says an
official for the military government, police Brigadier General Myint
Thein, informed Aung San Suu Kyi Tuesday that authorities were lifting
her current six-year-old house arrest order immediately. The order was
due to expire Wednesday.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.


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