This is VERY troubling news:
US worried over Suu Kyi medical reports Fri Jun 9, 2:53 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States voiced concern on Friday over reports Myanmar democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi may have been hospitalized and urged the authorities to release the Nobel laureate from house arrest.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said he had heard reports that Suu Kyi had been hospitalized but he could not confirm whether they were true or not.
"We would call upon the Burmese (Myanmar) government to provide Aung San Suu Kyi any and all medical assistance that she might need and to do so expeditiously and to ensure her safety during any treatment," said McCormack.
"We are, of course, very concerned by these reports and we would also reiterate our call on the regime to release her from house arrest," he added.
Earlier on Friday, military-ruled Myanmar, formerly called Burma, confirmed Suu Kyi's house arrest had been extended for one year.
Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 and has been in prison or under house arrest off and on since 1989. Her party, the National League for Democracy, won landslide elections in 1990 but the military refused to relinquish power.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060609/pl_nm/myanmar_suukyi_medical_dc
------------------------------------------------------------
And here is an email that I received from the U.S. Campaign for Burma organization today:
We have learned that Aung San Suu Kyi has been hospitalized in Rangoon.
While news reports (see AP article below) cite severe diarrhea, we have
reason to fear that her situation is worse than that would make it
sound
- severe gastro-intestinal distress like Aung San Suu Kyi is
experiencing can be signs of serious medical conditions and she has not
been able to see her doctor regularly in the recent months because of
increased restrictions imposed by the regime.
The international media is aware that this is happening, though we
cannot rely on them to report it widely enough. As a measure to
protect
Aung San Suu Kyi's safety while she's in the hospital we must make June
17 a huge day of action. We can protect her by insisting on vigilant
and intense international scrutiny by the media and the world's
governments.
Please, please double your efforts now.
Contact the local media about your house party, invite more people,
solicit more funds, donate more, and get more letters written so that
Aung San Suu Kyi will be provided with the best medical care, and so
that she will be released, and we can begin on a path to global action
that might end all of this suffering once and for all.
The last time that Aung San Suu Kyi was free (in 2003), the military
tried to assassinate her. She needs our help and protection, and even
if you don't feel like your one house party in middle-America will make
the difference, yours and the 252+ others combined WILL make a
difference, like so many individual drops of water building a great
ocean.
Let's all do our part and more.
Cristina
Myanmar's Suu Kyi Hospitalized
By NICK WADHAMS
The Associated Press
Friday, June 9, 2006; 3:10 PM
UNITED NATIONS -- Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has
been hospitalized with severe diarrhea, activists with contacts in the
country said Friday.
Suu Kyi, 60, was taken to the hospital Thursday afternoon after calling
her physician to say she was suffering from diarrhea and weakness, said
Thaung Htun, the New York-based U.N. representative for the Burmese
government in exile. Myanmar is also known as Burma.
Htun said Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who has spent much of the
last 16 years under house arrest, was delayed going to the hospital
because her physician had trouble getting permission to see her.
"The physician should have a visit any time he thinks it's necessary,"
Htun said. "Delays should not happen because of asking permission from
the authorities."
Htun said colleagues in Myanmar had confirmed Suu Kyi's
hospitalization.
It was not immediately clear if she had been released.
In Washington, the State Department said it had heard reports of Suu
Kyi's hospitalization but could not confirm them.
"We would call upon the Burmese government to provide Aung San Suu Kyi
any and all medical assistance that she might need and to do so
expeditiously and to ensure her safety during any treatment," spokesman
Sean McCormack said.
"And we would also reiterate our call on the regime to release her from
house arrest. It's sometimes difficult to get good, solid information
in
Burma, just because of the nature of the place. But we are quite
concerned about the reports."
Myanmar's junta took power in 1988 after crushing vast pro-democracy
demonstrations in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. In 1990, it refused
to hand over power when Suu Kyi's party won a general election by a
landslide.
The United States and many Western nations have since shunned the junta
due to its poor human rights record and failure to give up power.
Earlier Friday, the government acknowledged for the first time that it
had extended her house arrest last month.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
PLEASE visit this website to learn what more that you can do to support freedom and democracy in Burma and to win the
UNCONDITIONAL RELEASE OF AUNG SAN SUU KYI!
Thank you for your time.
http://www.uscampaignforburma.org
US worried over Suu Kyi medical reports Fri Jun 9, 2:53 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States voiced concern on Friday over reports Myanmar democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi may have been hospitalized and urged the authorities to release the Nobel laureate from house arrest.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said he had heard reports that Suu Kyi had been hospitalized but he could not confirm whether they were true or not.
"We would call upon the Burmese (Myanmar) government to provide Aung San Suu Kyi any and all medical assistance that she might need and to do so expeditiously and to ensure her safety during any treatment," said McCormack.
"We are, of course, very concerned by these reports and we would also reiterate our call on the regime to release her from house arrest," he added.
Earlier on Friday, military-ruled Myanmar, formerly called Burma, confirmed Suu Kyi's house arrest had been extended for one year.
Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 and has been in prison or under house arrest off and on since 1989. Her party, the National League for Democracy, won landslide elections in 1990 but the military refused to relinquish power.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060609/pl_nm/myanmar_suukyi_medical_dc
------------------------------------------------------------
And here is an email that I received from the U.S. Campaign for Burma organization today:
We have learned that Aung San Suu Kyi has been hospitalized in Rangoon.
While news reports (see AP article below) cite severe diarrhea, we have
reason to fear that her situation is worse than that would make it
sound
- severe gastro-intestinal distress like Aung San Suu Kyi is
experiencing can be signs of serious medical conditions and she has not
been able to see her doctor regularly in the recent months because of
increased restrictions imposed by the regime.
The international media is aware that this is happening, though we
cannot rely on them to report it widely enough. As a measure to
protect
Aung San Suu Kyi's safety while she's in the hospital we must make June
17 a huge day of action. We can protect her by insisting on vigilant
and intense international scrutiny by the media and the world's
governments.
Please, please double your efforts now.
Contact the local media about your house party, invite more people,
solicit more funds, donate more, and get more letters written so that
Aung San Suu Kyi will be provided with the best medical care, and so
that she will be released, and we can begin on a path to global action
that might end all of this suffering once and for all.
The last time that Aung San Suu Kyi was free (in 2003), the military
tried to assassinate her. She needs our help and protection, and even
if you don't feel like your one house party in middle-America will make
the difference, yours and the 252+ others combined WILL make a
difference, like so many individual drops of water building a great
ocean.
Let's all do our part and more.
Cristina
Myanmar's Suu Kyi Hospitalized
By NICK WADHAMS
The Associated Press
Friday, June 9, 2006; 3:10 PM
UNITED NATIONS -- Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has
been hospitalized with severe diarrhea, activists with contacts in the
country said Friday.
Suu Kyi, 60, was taken to the hospital Thursday afternoon after calling
her physician to say she was suffering from diarrhea and weakness, said
Thaung Htun, the New York-based U.N. representative for the Burmese
government in exile. Myanmar is also known as Burma.
Htun said Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who has spent much of the
last 16 years under house arrest, was delayed going to the hospital
because her physician had trouble getting permission to see her.
"The physician should have a visit any time he thinks it's necessary,"
Htun said. "Delays should not happen because of asking permission from
the authorities."
Htun said colleagues in Myanmar had confirmed Suu Kyi's
hospitalization.
It was not immediately clear if she had been released.
In Washington, the State Department said it had heard reports of Suu
Kyi's hospitalization but could not confirm them.
"We would call upon the Burmese government to provide Aung San Suu Kyi
any and all medical assistance that she might need and to do so
expeditiously and to ensure her safety during any treatment," spokesman
Sean McCormack said.
"And we would also reiterate our call on the regime to release her from
house arrest. It's sometimes difficult to get good, solid information
in
Burma, just because of the nature of the place. But we are quite
concerned about the reports."
Myanmar's junta took power in 1988 after crushing vast pro-democracy
demonstrations in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. In 1990, it refused
to hand over power when Suu Kyi's party won a general election by a
landslide.
The United States and many Western nations have since shunned the junta
due to its poor human rights record and failure to give up power.
Earlier Friday, the government acknowledged for the first time that it
had extended her house arrest last month.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
PLEASE visit this website to learn what more that you can do to support freedom and democracy in Burma and to win the
UNCONDITIONAL RELEASE OF AUNG SAN SUU KYI!
Thank you for your time.
http://www.uscampaignforburma.org