Aung San Suu Kyi : biography

2007 anti-government protests

Protests led by Buddhist monks began on 19 August 2007 following steep fuel price increases, and continued each day, despite the threat of a crackdown by the military.. Associated Press.

On 22 September 2007, although still under house arrest, Suu Kyi made a brief public appearance at the gate of her residence in Yangon to accept the blessings of Buddhist monks who were marching in support of human rights.. AFP. 22 September 2007 It was reported that she had been moved the following day to Insein Prison (where she had been detained in 2003),. Reuters. 25 September 2007. BBC News Online. 14 May 2009. The Australian. 28 September 2007. TIME. 28 September 2007 but meetings with UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari near her Rangoon home on 30 September and 2 October established that she remained under house arrest., BBC News Online, 30 September 2007. BBC News Online. 2 October 2007

2009 trespass incident

On 3 May 2009, an American man, identified as John Yettaw, swam across Inya Lake to her house uninvited and was arrested when he made his return trip three days later.McDonald, Mark (7 May 2009). . The New York Times. He had attempted to make a similar trip two years earlier, but for unknown reasons was turned away.James, Randy (20 May 2009). . Time. He later claimed at trial that he was motivated by a divine vision requiring him to notify her of an impending terrorist assassination attempt.The Times, 28 May 2009, Richard Lloyd Parr, "God asked me to warn her, swimmer John Yettaw tells Suu Kyi trial" On 13 May, Suu Kyi was arrested for violating the terms of her house arrest because the swimmer, who pleaded exhaustion, was allowed to stay in her house for two days before he attempted the swim back. Suu Kyi was later taken to Insein Prison, where she could have faced up to five years confinement for the intrusion.Kennedy, Maev (14 May 2009). . The Guardian. The trial of Suu Kyi and her two maids began on 18 May and a small number of protesters gathered outside., Financial Times, 19 May 2009, BBC News Online, 18 May 2009 Diplomats and journalists were barred from attending the trial; however, on one occasion, several diplomats from Russia, Thailand and Singapore and journalists were allowed to meet Suu Kyi., BBC News Online, 20 May 2009 The prosecution had originally planned to call 22 witnesses., The Times, 18 May 2009 It also accused John Yettaw of embarrassing the country., Wall Street Journal, 22 May 2009 During the ongoing defence case, Suu Kyi said she was innocent. The defence was allowed to call only one witness (out of four), while the prosecution was permitted to call 14 witnesses. The court rejected two character witnesses, NLD members Tin Oo and Win Tin, and permitted the defence to call only a legal expert. According to one unconfirmed report, the junta was planning to, once again, place her in detention, this time in a military base outside the city. In a separate trial, Yettaw said he swam to Suu Kyi’s house to warn her that her life was "in danger"., BBC News Online, 28 May 2009 The national police chief later confirmed that Yettaw was the "main culprit" in the case filed against Suu Kyi.. AP. 25 June 2009 According to aides, Suu Kyi spent her 64th birthday in jail sharing biryani rice and chocolate cake with her guards.. The Guardian. 19 June 2009

Her arrest and subsequent trial received worldwide condemnation by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations Security Council,, The Age, 24 May 2009 Western governments,, BBC News Online, 18 May 2009 South Africa,, AFP at IC Publications, 22 May 2009 Japan, Radio Australia, 15 May 2009 and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Burma is a member., BBC News Online, 19 May 2009 The Burmese government strongly condemned the statement, as it created an "unsound tradition", Xinhua, 24 May 2009 and criticised Thailand for meddling in its internal affairs., Bangkok Post, 25 May 2009 The Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win was quoted in the state-run newspaper New Light of Myanmar as saying that the incident "was trumped up to intensify international pressure on Burma by internal and external anti-government elements who do not wish to see the positive changes in those countries’ policies toward Burma". Ban responded to an international campaign Campaign. by flying to Burma to negotiate, but Than Shwe rejected all of his requests.Horn, Robert (5 July 2009). . Time.