Free at last

Suu Kyi’s release has been hailed by world leaders. Many campaigned for years for this.

Aung San Suu Kyi, known simply as ‘the lady’ to many in her native Burma, has been freed after spending 15 of the past 21 years under house arrest. Suu Kyi retains her status as a hugely popular leader in her country even though the National League for Democracy, the party she founded in 1988 and which swept the polls in 1990, has been disbanded by the military junta which has ruled Burma since 1962. In 1990, Aung San Suu Kyi should have become prime minister. Instead, she has, as a result of her long detention that began the year before that, emerged as a symbol of quiet courage refusing to abandon her bid to take her nation towards democracy. Personal tragedy has added to her status. In 1999, her husband Dr Michael Aris died of cancer in the UK. He had last met Suu Kyi in 1995. She has also remained away from her two sons. Honoured by the world, Suu Kyi has won a long list of prestigious awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. The decision to free her comes as her sentence expires. It had been feared, however, that this would simply be extended by the regime, which retains power after an election earlier this month which, almost everyone agrees, was rigged to ensure victory for a pro-military party.

Suu Kyi’s release has been hailed by world leaders. Presidents, prime ministers, the UN and other bodies campaigned for years for this. But some have already warned that there is a need for caution. Thousands of political prisoners remain in detention in Burma. Decisions will also need to be taken on whether it is wise to lift economic sanctions on Burma. Its people have paid for them more than the regime. Much will depend on the line taken by Suu Kyi and the degree to which she is willing to work with the military leadership.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd,2010.