President Mary McAleese today welcomed the release of Aung San Suu Kyi from her “unjustified” house arrest in Burma.
The President said the democracy activist had shown “remarkable courage and resilience” througout her detention and was a beacon of hope for the Burmese people.
“Her release is a wonderful boost to all those who never gave up on the peaceful struggle for democracy,” said Mrs McAleese. “I sincerely hope that today’s welcome developments represent a genuine sign of new and progressive thinking by the Burmese authorities and that they mark, not just the end of the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, but also the beginning of the end of a dark chapter in the history of Burma.”
Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin also welcomed the release of Ms Suu Kyi from her “unfair and unwarranted detention” in Burma.
“The Irish people have a particular affection for Aung San Suu Kyi and her campaign has received strong support across Ireland,” he said.
Ms Suu Kyi was awarded the freedom of the city of Dublin 2000 and the freedom of Galway in 2005. She was declared the Amnesty International ‘Ambassador of Conscience’ at a U2 concert in Croke Park in July 2009.
Mr Martin said she has come to symbolise the desire of the people of Burma for democracy and freedom. “Her courage, her quiet dignity and her tireless devotion to her cause have earned her worldwide admiration,” he said. “She has been unflinching in her commitment to non-violence and to the use of exclusively peaceful means to bring about political change."
He called on the Burmese authorities to release the remainder of the 2,200 political prisoners.
“If the regime is willing to change its policies, the release of Aung San Suu Kyi can be an important milestone for Burma and can provide hope for the future,” he said. “I call on the Burmese authorities, even at this late stage, to take the path of reform and to begin the necessary transition to democracy, which must include the fair and equal treatment of the country’s ethnic minorities.”
The Labour Party’s Michael D. Higgins said he hoped the release would hasten the establishment of democracy in Burma.
“The international community and, in particular, neighbouring countries must now keep the pressure on the Burmese military junta to secure the release of all prisoners and the establishment of full democratic and human rights in that country,” he said.
He also he was hopeful Ms Suu Kyi would travel to Ireland to sign the roll of honour in Dublin and Galway.
The Green Party said the release would bring joy to the streets of Burma. “The release of Suu Kyi marks the end of a decade and half of an illegal imprisonment of a woman who has done nothing only fight for what is democratically right and fair,” foreign affairs spokesman Senator Mark Dearey said. “I hope her political struggle can now continue, and democracy can be brought to Burma.”
Amnesty International Ireland director Colm O’Gorman said Ms Suu Kyi was inspiration to a generation of human rights activists. “Her release marks the end of an unfair sentence that was illegally extended. The authorities should never have arrested her or the many other prisoners of conscience in Myanmar in the first place,” he said. "The release of Aung San Suu Kyi must not mean that we forget the other prisoners in Myanmar. Her release must be the first of many.”
Burma Action Ireland welcomed the release but warned that it does not mean the junta was serious about reform and democracy. “They should release all political prisoners and end the military offensives against the ethnic minorities,” chairman Keith Donald said.
