http://blog.heritage.org/2009/08/17/bad-deal-on-burma/ Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:29:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 http://blog.heritage.org/2009/08/17/bad-deal-on-burma/#comment-49370 Derek Tonkin Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:24:07 +0000 http://www.foundry.org/?p=13061#comment-49370 The Burmese media have made it clear that Mr Yettaw was released on compassionate, humanitarian grounds. He is ill, both physcally and mentally, and it would have churlish of Senator Webb not to have asked for his release and for the Burmese not have agreed to this. The issue of Suu Kyi is a toally different matter. She is a very high profile Burmese citizen and nothing that Senator Webb said or did in Burma in any way justifies your conclusion that he gave the regime an excuse to prolong her restricted residence. Already there are signs that the regime is opening up and that Suu Kyi is testing the water on the issue of sanctions and tourism. In short, Senator Webb may have helped to open up the log jam and to get some kind of dialogue going between her and the regime. This was the very most he could have hoped to achieve. He should be congratulated on the results of his visit. Suu Kyi, incidentally, is not debarred from standing in the elections because of her house arrest. The real issue is whether she wants to do so under a seriously flawed Constitution. The Burmese media have made it clear that Mr Yettaw was released on compassionate, humanitarian grounds. He is ill, both physcally and mentally, and it would have churlish of Senator Webb not to have asked for his release and for the Burmese not have agreed to this. The issue of Suu Kyi is a toally different matter. She is a very high profile Burmese citizen and nothing that Senator Webb said or did in Burma in any way justifies your conclusion that he gave the regime an excuse to prolong her restricted residence. Already there are signs that the regime is opening up and that Suu Kyi is testing the water on the issue of sanctions and tourism. In short, Senator Webb may have helped to open up the log jam and to get some kind of dialogue going between her and the regime. This was the very most he could have hoped to achieve. He should be congratulated on the results of his visit. Suu Kyi, incidentally, is not debarred from standing in the elections because of her house arrest. The real issue is whether she wants to do so under a seriously flawed Constitution.

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