Thomas Daschle: “for 6 days, Aung San Suu Kyi--the courageous voice of democracy and freedom in Burma--has been in jail. Her crime?…”

“for 6 days, Aung San Suu Kyi--the courageous voice of democracy and freedom in Burma--has been in jail. Her crime? Support for reform and democracy in one of the world's most isolated and repressive countries. One of the world's great democrats is currently being held by a military junta disingenuously named State Peace and Development Council. Late last week, the Junta announced that it had Suu Kyi in ``protective custody.'' The truth, of course, is that she was beaten with a bamboo pole and detained in an ambush that killed four of her supporters. Several observers noted that her arrest is the latest in a vicious and coordinated attack which has claimed 70 of her supporters. This is evidence of the junta's deplorable disregard for international standards of decency and for the people it rules. It also tells us what we can expect from the junta. A year ago, after Suu Kyi was released from her 15 year long detention, there was a glimmer of hope for reform and democracy in Burma. Rather than re-engaging the world, however, the junta holds fast to its failed policies of the past. The Special Envoy from the United Nations is scheduled to travel to Burma this weekend as part of a larger effort to promote democracy. Yet with its actions this past week, the SPDC confirms what we had all feared--and what Suu Kyi warned: the military junta in power in Burma cannot and will not take the necessary steps to bring about democracy and freedom.”