WORLD> Asia-Pacific
|
WORLD> Asia-Pacific
|
|
China urges respect for Myanmar sovereignty
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-08-13 09:45
YANGON: China said Wednesday the world should respect Myanmar's judicial sovereignty after the court sent Aung San Suu Kyi back into detention, triggering Western outrage but only a measured response from its neighbors. China urged the outside world not to interfere in Myanmar's affairs, suggesting Beijing would not back any UN action against the country. Suu Kyi, a 64-year-old Nobel Peace laureate, was sentenced to three years for violating an internal security law, but the junta said immediately after Tuesday's verdict it would halve the sentence and allow her to serve the time at her Yangon home.
Four of her lawyers were allowed to visit the Nobel Peace Prize laureate at her lakeside home for an hour to discuss an appeal of her conviction Tuesday on charges of violating the terms of her previous house arrest. Basis of Ruling Challenged Suu Kyi's party condemned the ruling because it was based on a law from Myanmar's 1974 constitution, no longer in use. Lawyer Nyan Win said the appeals process could take time. Security was tight near Suu Kyi's home Wednesday. Western nations pressed the UN Security Council to adopt a statement condemning the sentence, but other countries, including council members Russia and China, were not sympathetic. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said it was time for dialogue with Myanmar, not criticism. "This not only accords with Myanmar's interests, it is also beneficial to regional stability," she said in a statement. "International society should fully respect Myanmar's judicial sovereignty." Analysts said Suu Kyi's reduced sentence may have been an attempt to please Myanmar's friends and neighbors -- including China, India and Thailand -- whose trade has been crucial in the wake of crippling sanctions. The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Myanmar is a member, Wednesday expressed "deep disappointment" about Suu Kyi's detention, following similar statements by member countries that stopped short of criticizing Yangon. US Senator Jim Webb of Virginia will visit Myanmar later this week as part of a five-nation Asia tour, prompting some speculation that he will try to negotiate the release of American John Yettaw, who was sentenced this week for swimming to Suu Kyi's home for an unauthorized visit. He has been reported to be ill. His lawyer said such a handover was unlikely. "It is impossible that Mr. Yettaw will be sent back with the visiting senator. I think my client will finally be deported but not immediately," Khin Maung Oo said. Webb's visit will be the first by a member of the US Congress to Myanmar in over a decade. He is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's East Asia and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee. Reuters |
