Suu Kyi’s appeal against extended detention rejected

A BURMESE court yesterday rejected an appeal by pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi against her extended house arrest, just days after the US re-engaged with the country’s ruling junta.

Judges at a divisional court in Yangon upheld the Nobel Laureate’s conviction, her lawyer said, over an incident in which an American man swam uninvited to her home, earning her an extra 18 months in detention.

“The appeal was rejected but we will take it to the high court,” said Suu Kyi’s lawyer and the spokesman for her National League for Democracy (NLD) party, Nyan Win, after the hearing.

Asked whether he was disappointed, the lawyer said Suu Kyi might have a better chance at Burma’s high court.

He said the defence team was seeking permission from the authorities to visit the frail 64-year-old as soon as possible, to inform her of the ruling and discuss a further appeal, which must be filed within the next 60 days.

Suu Kyi was not present for the verdict.

Her extended house arrest will keep her off the scene for elections promised by the regime for 2010, adding to widespread criticism that the polls are a sham designed to legitimise the junta’s grip on power.

Military-ruled Burma has faced intense international pressure to free the opposition leader, especially from the United States, which on Tuesday held its highest-level talks with the country’s leaders in nearly a decade.

The Obama administration’s decision to start a dialogue with the southeast Asian nation came after years of stalemate proved unproductive. But Washington warned against lifting sanctions until the junta moves on democracy.

The US side demanded the release of Suu Kyi when it met with a delegation in New York, according to Kurt Campbell, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs.