Press statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
We are disappointed to learn that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was found guilty and sentenced to three years hard labour.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi did not plan to violate the terms of her house arrest, and the intrusion into her house was by a person who appears to be of unsound mind.
We are however happy that the Myanmar Government has exercised its sovereign prerogative to grant amnesty for half her sentence and that she will be placed under house arrest rather than imprisoned.
We are heartened that Minister of Home Affairs Major General Maung Oo had announced that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will be allowed to see doctors and nurses, communicate with her party, watch local television channels, read local newspapers and journals, and can receive visitors with the government’s permission and that there is a possibility that she could receive amnesty for the remainder of her sentence.
These are significant gestures by the Myanmar Government.
We hope that the Myanmar Government will allow Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to participate in the political process as soon as possible.
A meaningful dialogue between the Myanmar Government, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political groups in an open and inclusive process of national reconciliation is the only hope for the long term political stability of the country.
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I did a comparison of international responses to the trial (including the Singapore MFA’s statement) on my blog.
The wording of the MFA statement strays from the usual response… …
After reading the article on Myanmar by Gerald, several thoughts have crossed my mind. Call me paraniod, but the recognition of the military rulers in Myanmar, the threat of deploying the army in the event of a freak election, the high defence spending and the filling up top military positions with scholars, who will no doubt become loyalist given their elite progression, plus the appointment of other loyalist in both civil and key institutions reinforces my believe that taking over power will no longer be a the standard affair of winning the majority in the elections, just like Ms Aung found out 10 years ago. The greed of the people in power for money, authority and glory would never allow them to step down gracefully as these men have repeatedly shown that they do not have the moral standing to be fair when challenged or threathened. Even when they have been proved incompetent in some occasion they fail to take responsibility and step down.
I hope Obama and most of the world leaders will take note of Spore’s stand, and more importantly to be aware Spore is the prefered bank of the Burmese junta members when considering sanctions. Perhaps George Yeo can clarify ……..
We, as Singaporeans, should apologize to the international community on our Govt behalf for releasing such press statement. I’m ashamed that my Govt is happy with the “reduced sentence”. We are not helping Burma and it’s people in restoring democracy by release such statement.
I hope TOC continues to show images of the horror in Myanmar and reports of the plight of the people. Let conscience do the work. Keep showing them!
The words that make me puke are “significant gestures” & “amnesty”. These are bootlicking words clear as crystal.
To those who claim to have connections in one way or another to sources of evidence of arms supply, please can you take photos or secretly record evidences and post them to the BBC. They may even remit you which you should not feel guilty about because you are helping to rid of evil and save innocent lives.
I wonder if the PAP will ever resort to these sort of methods.
Say in the next GE they get toppled, they might bring in the damned army just to hold their LEEgime
What army? Most of our soldiers are NSF. They just want to Serve And F-off. You think they will help the political parties here?
You more joker than me.
I agree with Joker. Army in Singapore mostly NSF. You want them to point the rifles nozzle at their friends and family is really wishful thinking. The ghuka maybe, I think that is why the Leefamilies have them protecting the Lees instead of local.
After years of singing the national anthem and saying the national pledge together, which national serviceman will point his rifle and shoot at his own family members, friends and fellow citizens?
Whoever will do so must be nuts!
So, what will all the above self-righteous posters got to say about the UN statement on Myammar being released today. Were they any much different from Singapore’s statement…
Diplomatic efforts are not just about sanctions and condemnation (which the hypocritical western nations always like to do as typical international bullies, but it have no effects so far on Myammar so far), it is also about engagement whenever possible so that dialogue are still open for further actions and efforts to correct a situation.
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UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council agreed Thursday on a watered-down statement expressing “serious concern” at the extended detention of Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar after a tougher draft met opposition from China, Libya, Russia and Vietnam.
After two days of closed-door bargaining, the 15-member body could only agree on a statement expressing “serious concern at the conviction and sentencing of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and its political impact” and reiterating “the importance of the release of all political prisoners.”
Britain’s UN Ambassador John Sawers, the council chair this month, described the non-binding statement as “an important expression of serious concern about the outcome” of the Suu Kyi trial.
“I think we all know that different members of the Security Council have different views on the situation there and that the strong views in various Western capitals are not entirely shared in countries elsewhere,” Sawers noted as he sought to explain why an initial US draft was watered down.
The tougher US draft which would have condemned Suu Kyi’s conviction ran into opposition from China, a key ally of Myanmar, as well as from Russia, Vietnam and Libya.
The four countries invoked the principle of non-interference in the domestic affairs of a UN member state.
The text approved Thursday noted the decision by the Myanmar government to reduce Suu Kyi’s sentence and urged the military government “to take further measures to create the necessary conditions for a genuine dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all concerned parties and ethnic groups in order to achieve an inclusive national reconciliation.”
It also affirmed the council’s “commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Myanmar” and reiterated that “the future of Myanmar lies in the hands of all its people.”
“We are however happy that the Myanmar Government has exercised its sovereign prerogative to grant amnesty for half her sentence and that she will be placed under house arrest rather than imprisoned.”
translate:
We are however happy that the Myanmar Government has taken care of our millions $$$ invested in Juta. Who knows what will happen if she get back in power.Afterall she is also “part of the problem” because she believes she is the government.