Aung San Suu Kyi meets her legal counsels

by Phanida
Tuesday, 15 December 2009 20:37

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - Detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi met her legal team on Tuesday.

The four lawyers - Nyan Win, Kyi Win, Hla Myo Myint and Khin Htay Kywe arrived at the residence of Aung San Suu Kyi on Rangoon’s University Avenue on Tuesday afternoon at about 1:50 p.m. (Local time). They were allowed to enter the house after a 25-minute wait.

Though they concluded their discussions at about 4:35 p.m. (local time), the lawyers were only allowed to come out of the residence, which is under tight security, after waiting another 20 minutes, they said.

“We mainly discussed the case because the prosecutors have also submitted their arguments in the High Court. We have not received the revised argument but we had discussions on it,” Nyan Win, one of the defence counsel and spokesperson of the National League for Democracy party, said.

“We also discussed her [Aung San Suu Kyi] house renovation. She said that only when repairs started, she realised that a lot more needs to be done. I think it will take a long time to complete it,” Nyan Win added.

He said that he is satisfied with their meeting with the detained Nobel Peace Laureate and believes that it would help the case.

The defence team has been fighting a legal battle to alter the court’s decision that sentenced the Burmese democracy icon to three years in prison on charges of violating her previous house arrest rules, by ‘harbouring’ an uninvited American, John Yettaw, in early May.

However, her sentence was halved by an executive order from the military junta supremo Snr Gen Than Shwe and she is allowed to serve time at her lakeside home. The order also allows her to submit a written request to authorities if she wishes to meet anybody.

Besides the case, Nyan Win said, they also discussed the arrangements worked out by the authorities to allow her request to meet three of her aging party leaders.

The Burmese pro-democracy leader is reportedly expected to meet her senior party leaders soon at a location to be arranged by the authorities.

Aung San Suu Kyi (64) has spent 14 of the past 19 years in some form of detention. She has been mostly kept at her lakeside home in solitary confinement.