via CAAI
Wednesday, 10 November 2010 20:27 Aung Hla Tun
Aung San Suu Kyi will not accept conditions on her freedom if the military government releases her this week, according to her lawyer.
The charismatic and influential figurehead of Myanmar's fight for democracy could still be a potent threat to the ruling military but it stands to gain diplomatically by freeing her.
Suu Kyi voiced opposition to Myanmar's first election in 20 years, held last Sunday and easily won, as expected, by a party set up by the military.
She has called on her loyalists to expose electoral fraud, her lawyer, Nyan Win, said.
United States President Barack Obama dismissed the election as “stolen”, while China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs lauded it as "peaceful and successful", illustrating strengthening ties between energy-hungry Beijing and its resource-rich neighbour.
Myanmar's other neighbours and partners in the Association of South East Asian Nations had urged it to make the election "fair and inclusive" and to release Suu Kyi and more than 2,000 other political prisoners before the vote.
While that did not happen, there is speculation she might be freed from house arrest on Saturday, when a sentence imposed last year for the violation of a security law is due to end.
"Aung San Suu Kyi must be released on or before November 13 because it is the day when the house arrest on her expires," said Nyan Win, who is also a spokesman for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy.
"The release must also be unconditional because she will not accept a limited release. As we all know, she never accepted limited freedom in the past."
When released from a six-year stint of house arrest in 1995, Suu Kyi was not allowed to leave the city of Yangon. She has been detained for 15 of the past 21 years. - Reuters
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