Myanmar: Annan again calls for release of detained democracy leaders

With his special envoy arriving in Myanmar today, United Nation Secretary-General Kofi Annan, for the second time this week, called for the immediate release of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and several other leaders of the National League for Democracy (NLD) detained with her.

“The Secretary-General continues to be gravely concerned about the continued incommunicado detention of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders of the NLD, and is particularly troubled by reports of injuries suffered by them,” a UN spokesperson said in a statement in New York. “He fully expects that his Special Envoy will be allowed to meet all his interlocutors, and that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other NLD members will be released without further delay.”

The statement said the UN had not received confirmation that the Government would allow Special Envoy Razali Ismail to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, but he met with the Foreign Minister today and registered an official request to see her.

Mr. Razali is scheduled to meet with General Khin Nyunt, Secretary-One of the ruling State Peace and Democracy Council (SPDC) tomorrow, when he hopes to receive an official answer to his request.

“At these meetings, he is emphasizing the need to release immediately all those detained since 30 May,” the statement said. “He will also convey the international community’s concern at the events of 30 May (when the detentions occurred), and will impress upon his interlocutors the need to start a substantive dialogue between the government and the NLD.”