After over 20 yrs... Finally Aung San Suu Kyi will be free.

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From the link posted:


YANGON — Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi will be released in November, just days after Myanmar's first election in two decades, officials in the junta-ruled country said.

The Nobel Peace laureate, who has been detained for most of the last 20 years since winning the country's last poll in 1990, will be freed when her current house arrest expires on November 13, the unnamed sources said.
 
Yeah, agreed. Well, the first part, anyway. :wink:

They'll change the visuals and it'll be more of a celebration song.

Unless, of course, they find something else to arrest her for in the next few weeks. Which wouldn't surprise me.
 
I'm keeping my mask handy, she may be rearrested

viewer
 
It seems inconceivable at this point that Suu Kyi will be allowed to present or spearlead any serious challenge to the junta. Bono analogized her to Mandela in heralding her release yesterday, and while I think that's absolutely an appropriate analogy on a moral level, unfortunately it's not apt on a political level. When De Klerk's government released Mandela, it was an admission of moral and political defeat and an intentional first step towards South Africa's first multiracial elections; the junta, by contrast, are freeing Suu Kyi because they feel confident enough in their lock on power following their landslide "victory" in last week's "elections" to show a little PR-enhancing "goodwill." Meanwhile, an estimated 2200 other political prisoners remain trapped in the regime's prisons, torture chambers and forced labor camps, some of whom have been imprisoned since before Suu Kyi was first arrested in 1989. At the moment, the greatest intrigue is simply to see how she'll respond to the very different political reality from her last time 'out'; the opposition has become far more diversified--philosophically, ethnically and geographically--and includes many young activists who respect Suu Kyi (as was clear in Rangoon yesterday, she remains the most beloved national figure), but emphatically do not consider her their leader. It will also be interesting to see how the West responds to her change of stance on international sanctions, which have hurt the regime little but the average citizen a great deal.

Still, a great moment is a great moment.
 
yolland said:
It seems inconceivable at this point that Suu Kyi will be allowed to present or spearlead any serious challenge to the junta. Bono analogized her to Mandela in heralding her release yesterday, and while I think that's absolutely an appropriate analogy on a moral level, unfortunately it's not apt on a political level. When De Klerk's government released Mandela, it was an admission of moral and political defeat and an intentional first step towards South Africa's first multiracial elections; the junta, by contrast, are freeing Suu Kyi because they feel confident enough in their lock on power following their landslide "victory" in last week's "elections" to show a little PR-enhancing "goodwill." Meanwhile, an estimated 2200 other political prisoners remain trapped in the regime's prisons, torture chambers and forced labor camps, some of whom have been imprisoned since before Suu Kyi was first arrested in 1989. At the moment, the greatest intrigue is simply to see how she'll respond to the very different political reality from her last time 'out'; the opposition has become far more diversified--philosophically, ethnically and geographically--and includes many young activists who respect Suu Kyi (as was clear in Rangoon yesterday, she remains the most beloved national figure), but emphatically do not consider her their leader. It will also be interesting to see how the West responds to her change of stance on international sanctions, which have hurt the regime little but the average citizen a great deal.

Still, a great moment is a great moment.
Click to expand...


yep, agree with you re. the Mandela comment... i think "cautious joy" is definitely more fitting in this situation, compared with the tide-turning ecstatic jubilation i remember when Mandela was freed... just really hoping Aung San Suu Kyi will stay safe and free... i remember how gut-wrenching and depressing it was last time they re-arrested her...

interesting article...

A release to celebrate – but this is not a 'Mandela moment'
Aung San Suu Kyi's allies in the west must not let their support for her wane

Editorial, The Observer, Sunday 14 November 2010

It is a profoundly moving moment: a fragile but steely 65-year-old woman, banished from sight for 15 of the last 21 years, emerges smiling into the light, surrounded by cheering supporters. She wears a flower in her hair. Aung San Suu Kyi is free at last. Those who have campaigned for her release, including many western governments, have cause to celebrate. But this is not yet a defining moment in Burmese history, let alone the "Mandela moment" some believe they see.

Nelson Mandela was freed because those who ruled South Africa knew the game was up, that apartheid was unsustainable. Burma's military rulers, by contrast, are determined to prolong their grip on power. They have held a bogus election and the party they created to win it has duly won. A general in a lounge suit is prime minister. Some nations, eyeing new trade opportunities, will be amenable to the idea of easing sanctions. Achieving that end is one of the calculations behind Suu Kyi's release.

She is a symbol of hope, fortitude and strength – one Nobel peace prizewinner whose reputation never falters. But the generals may also reckon that she is a symbol from the past who might struggle to engage with the reality of modern Burma. Her own party, which didn't contest the election, is split. Her tactical options are narrow and perilous. She has, after all, been locked away twice before. If she causes trouble, she could quickly rejoin the 2,000 unreleased political prisoners

The obstacles facing Suu Kyi and the movement she leads are profound. The resolve of those who have supported her against oppression will also be tested. The generals are playing a tactical game, making a symbolic gesture of Suu Kyi's release as cover for manoeuvres to consolidate their control over Burma. They should not be allowed any credit for such a cynical ploy.

Suu Kyi's challenge began again yesterday, out in the open at last. So begins also a new challenge for her friends abroad, whose solidarity must not wane as the cheers at her release inevitably fade.
Click to expand...
 
I didn't know she'd been re-arrested. Yeesh. So yeah, now knowing that, it's a "YAY!" surrounding by me knocking on wood, but it's still great news to know she's out anyway. May she stay free permanently.

And if she still has the political fight in her, I feel she'd be willing to risk things to work to change the problems that are still occurring where she lives. Her methods might be different now, perhaps, but I don't think she'll give up the fight, the support for those who are suffering.

Angela
 
This is indeed great news, however I am very concerned for her safety. It's very suspicious that they would let her go after all this time.

From past history, opposition leaders haven't remained free for very long and I'm afraid they're going to think of any little reason to re-arrest her.....or worse.

I'm thinking of Benito Akino of the Phillipines who was allowed to return home after being in exile - and then he was shot on the stairs of the plane that brought him home.

Also, Benazir Bhutto was also very vocal in her opposition to the government in Pakistan and was also assasinated.

I just hope that she can bring Myanmar back to democracy and that she lives a very long and productive life.
 
deep said:
I'm keeping my mask handy, she may be rearrested
Click to expand...

I know I shouldn't laugh at such a topic but that really made me :lol:

Months later I found one of her eyes in the bottom of the purse I had used that night and it freaked me out :wink:

Of course I'm glad she's free and I hope she stays free
 
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