Suu Kyi calls on Myanmar to respond to 'unjust' law
Detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi today called on Myanmar's people to give a united response to an ''unjust'' election law that bars her from the vote, her lawyer Nyan Win told AFP.
"The people and political forces have to respond united to such an unjust law," Suu Kyi said, according to Nyan Win, after he visited the democracy icon at her house. "She didn't think such a repressive law would come out."
Under new election legislation Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi faces exclusion from her own National League for Democracy (NLD) party and is not allowed to stand in elections this year on the grounds that she is a serving prisoner.
Nyan Win said Suu Kyi seemed resolute and "more cheerful" than expected during the meeting, saying there must also be a party response to the new laws, which have been denounced internationally as undemocratic.
"She is not upset by it. She said a concrete response has to be made from our side... We cannot say how we will respond at the moment," Nyan Win said, adding that he would consult with the party's elders.
Myanmar's ruling junta today appointed an election commission made up of 17 handpicked members, to oversee this year's polls that analysts expect will be held in October or November.The US said the new electoral laws, unveiled by the regime on Monday, made a "mockery" of democracy, while UN chief Ban Ki-moon appealed to the junta to free Suu Kyi and let her take part.
