Burma: Suu Kyi trial won't halt elections

Burma’s military government said today that its trial of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi would have no political impact.

Many have criticised the proceedings as a ploy to sideline Ms Suu Kyi during elections scheduled for 2010.

Highly popular Ms Suu Kyi, 63, whom the regime has sought to remove from the political arena through years of detention, is on trial accused of breaking the terms of her house arrest after an American swam to and sneaked into her lakeside home.

A foreign ministry statement carried in State-owned newspapers, said the trial was strictly related to the rule of law and “will not have any political impact”.

“The government, therefore, will hold multi-party general elections, fifth step of the Road Map, in 2010,” the statement said, referring to the junta’s “road map to democracy”, which critics say will merely extend the military’s decades-long rule under the guise of democracy.

The only witness the defence is allowed to call was due to appear at today court session as the proceedings seemed to be nearing their end.

One of Ms Suu Kyi’s lawyers, Nyan Win, said all but one of her witnesses had been disqualified, making it likely the verdict would come this week.

If convicted, Ms Suu Kyi could be sentenced to five years in prison. Burma’s courts operate under the influence of the military and usually deal harshly with political dissidents.

John Yettaw, 53, the American whose uninvited visit to Ms Suu Kyi’s home triggered the case against her, told the court yesterday that he was “sent by God” to make his night-time swim to her compound earlier this month, according to Mr Nyan Win.

The regime’s critics say the case against the Nobel Peace laureate – who has been in detention without trial for more than 13 of the past 19 years – was concocted to keep her detained during the elections planned for next year. She has pleaded not guilty.

Mr Nyan Win said legal expert Kyi Win would argue that harbouring Mr Yettaw did not constitute a violation of her house arrest and that it was the duty of government guards outside her property to prevent any intrusions.

Mr Kyi Win, a member of Ms Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party, was briefly arrested after the bloody 1988 pro-democracy uprising and two years later won a parliamentary seat in elections the regime has never recognised.

The rejected witnesses were another lawyer and two senior members of Ms Suu Kyi’s party.

The court said legal procedure allowed it to reject witnesses proposed “for the purpose of vexation or delay or for defeating the ends of justice”.

Mr Nyan Win told reporters it was unfair and inappropriate to reject witnesses in such an important case. He said the court had approved 23 prosecution witnesses, of whom 14 took the stand.

He said the court would hear Mr Kyi Win’s testimony today and judgment “is likely” to be made tomorrow.

Two female party members who live with Ms Suu Kyi, and 53-year-old Mr Yettaw face the same charge as Ms Suu Kyi and have also pleaded not guilty.

During three hours of prosecution questioning yesterday, Mr Yettaw, of Falcon, Missouri, spoke repeatedly of his plan to warn Ms Suu Kyi of his premonition that she would be killed, said Mr Nyan Win.

Many of Ms Suu Kyi’s supporters have criticised Mr Yettaw as a fool or dupe for getting her into trouble.

Mr Nyan Win said the defence had nothing to ask the man.

Ms Suu Kyi says she allowed him to stay for two days after he swam across a lake to enter her house and then said he was too tired and ill to leave immediately.

In a statement submitted to the court on Tuesday, she said she intended to report the visit through her doctor, Tin Myo Win, one of the few outside people allowed to see her.

But after the intrusion, Dr Tin Myo Win was not allowed into her house and was later held by authorities for more than a week. He has not appeared at the trial.

Mr Yettaw told the court that security staff observed him during both his visits to Ms Suu Kyi’s house, said Mr Nyan Win, but in neither case did they try to stop him.

The trial has sparked intense criticism worldwide of Burma’s military regime, even among the country’s Asian neighbours that normally refrain from commenting on its internal affairs.

Burma has been under military rule since 1962, even though Ms Suu Kyi’s party won the 1990 general election.