Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize 1991, turned 58 in detention at Insein jail on the outskirts of Rangoon. The leader of Burma's National League for Democracy (NLD) was arrested on 31 May with other party members, while many people were killed in an attack by the junta army.
Foreign Office Minister Mike O'Brien said on June 19th that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was being held under the 1975 state protection law, which allows for detention without access to family or lawyers for 180 days at a time, up to a total of five years, with no prospect of appeal.
The European Parliament demanded the immediate release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other detained NLD members.
During the debate, South West MEP Giles Chichester (Cons) said:
"The very worrying deterioration in the political situation in the last few days is just the latest twist in a story of consistent human rights abuses. Anyone who expresses opposition to the regime is subject to harassment and arrest and goes in fear of their life. Ethnic minorities such as the Karin and the Shan continue to suffer violent oppression, and there are over 130 000 refugees in camps on the Thai-Burma border.
This situation could best be resolved if the Burmese regime were to respect the results of the 1990 elections, as the international community has consistently demanded."
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