YANGON (Reuters) - Military ruled Myanmar was abuzz with speculation on Tuesday that
pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was set to be freed after 18 months
in house arrest following a deal with the ruling junta.
The release of the 56-year-old Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, is one of
the top demands of the international community. She has been kept confined to her lakeside
Yangon residence, with her telephone line cut, since September 2000.
A source close to the ruling junta told Reuters that the government was set to announce both
the release of Suu Kyi and a deal under which she would co-operate with the military in
administering humanitarian work in fields such as health and education.
“It will be more than the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and some other political prisoners. It
will be a breakthrough in Myanmar politics,” the source said.
Razali Ismail, the United Nations special envoy to Myanmar, ended a four-day visit to the
country on Friday saying he expected a breakthrough soon in the peace process.
Myanmar Labor Minister Tin Win told a news conference at the weekend that the government
would make a major announcement “in a few days.” Asked what progress had been achieved
in the talks, he said: “Just wait and see.”
Witnesses said a team of municipal workers were cleaning the road outside Suu Kyi’s
residence on Tuesday morning.
Diplomats in Yangon confirmed speculation was rife that Suu Kyi would be freed, but pointed
out that similar rumors have circulated before.
Suu Kyi, the charismatic daughter of assassinated independence hero Aung San, was held
under house arrest from 1989 to 1995.
Her National League for Democracy (NLD) won Myanmar’s last election in 1990 by a landslide,
but the military government refused to hand over power. Myanmar has faced international
isolation and economic sanctions over its human rights record and its treatment of Suu Kyi and
the NLD.
The release of Suu Kyi is widely regarded as the single most important step the junta could take
to show the outside world that it is considering political change.
The government began secret talks with Suu Kyi in October 2000, a move hailed as a
breakthrough. But since then no concrete progress has been announced. (Additional reporting
by Andrew Marshall in Yangon)
Note: U2’s song Walk On is dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi.
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