by Mungpi
Friday, 31 July 2009 14:55
New Delhi (mizzima) - Scores of supporters of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her party members across the country were rounded up on Thursday, on the eve of the special court in Rangoon’s Insein prison postponing the verdict of Aung San Suu Kyi to August 11.
An official of the National League for Democracy told Mizzima on Friday that several members of the party both in Rangoon including Naw Ohn Hla from Hmawbe Township and in various parts of the country were arrested on Thursday night.
“I think these people are being apprehended because of their show of solidarity towards Aung San Suu Kyi on her trial and for gathering outside the Insein prison during the trial,” Nyan Win said.
But sources said some of the arrested activists were released on Friday afternoon after the court announced postponement of the verdict on Aung San Suu Kyi to August 11.
“Naw Ohn Hla and the other two people from Rangoon have been released today afternoon, but we are not sure of those arrested in other parts of the country,” Ohn Kyaing, a spokesperson for the NLD told Mizzima.
On Friday, the special court in Rangoon’s notorious Insein prison postponed the verdict on the trial of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to August 11 saying it has difficulties in interpreting the law, a defense lawyer said.
“The court announced postponement of the verdict to August 11. The court said it needs more time in deciding on a verdict as there are some difficulties in interpreting the law on the charges on Daw Suu,” Nyan Win, lawyer of Aung San Suu Kyi, told Mizzima.
Nyan Win said he agreed with the court’s decision as the law used for charging pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has a problem of its own.
“We agreed with the court. Though the court did not mention what the problem is, we believe the problem of the law is that it has been taken from parts of the constitution which has not been in use,” Nyan Win said.
Despite tight security, hundreds of supporters and members of the NLD on Friday gathered outside of the Insein prison. Authorities have blocked the Insein road and other smaller lanes in and around Insein prison.
Sources said the government had deployed several soldiers in various parts of Rangoon since Thursday in a bid to stop any kind of anti-government protests that might be held on Friday.
Activists, meanwhile, have distributed leaflets in parts of Rangoon on Thursday night exhorting the people to wage war against the military rulers saying the verdict is obviously going to find pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi guilty and sentence her to a prison term.
But Win Tin, a senior NLD member, had earlier predicted that the government would change its strategy in trying to sentence the Burmese Nobel Peace Laureate to a prison term and that the court on Friday is likely to come up with a softer verdict or even postpone it in order to divert the attention of both the international and internal community.
“But in any circumstances, the government will find a way to sentence her [Aung San Suu Kyi] and imprison her, because that is what they wanted to do,” Win Tin told Mizzima.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
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