THAI HOUSE MEMBERS PUBLICLY CALL ON BURMA TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANGKOK 001374

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/08/2019
TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV TH BM
SUBJECT: THAI HOUSE MEMBERS PUBLICLY CALL ON BURMA TO
RELEASE AUNG SAN SUU KYI

REF: BANGKOK 1315

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. James F. Entwistle, reason 1.4 (
d)


1. (SBU) Twenty-two Thai women members of the House of
Representatives issued an open letter to the media on June 3
calling on Burma to unconditionally release Aung San Suu Kyi
(ASSK) and other political prisoners. All but one of the 22
MPs are members of the Democrat Party. MP Pusadee Tamthai
led the drafting of the open letter while MP Anik Amranand
acted as the co-sponsor, rounding up signatories to support
the statement.


2. (SBU) The MPs expressed regret over ASSK's predicament and
stated that the intrusion of a foreigner into her compound
did not warrant trial and detention. The letter welcomed the
GOB's commitment to hold elections in 2010 and urged that
they be inclusive; the letter also called for the release of
all political prisoners.


3. (SBU) A mix of House and Senate committee representatives
met in the Thai Parliament on June 2, led by the Foreign
Affairs Committee of the Senate and the Thai Action Committee
for Democracy in Burma (TACDB),to discuss the organized
agenda of "Roles of Thailand and ASEAN in Democracy
Development in Burma; a case of Aung San Suu Kyi." The
seminar was attended by approximately 60 participants with
the goal to inform them, the media, and the public on the
situation in Burma and set the direction for Thai
parliamentarians to prepare information for potential
petitions in the future.


4. (C) Comment: To our knowledge, this is the first time that
Thai House members have made such a statement on Burma. This
open letter comes on the heels of the recent letter of 30
Thai Senators to Senior General Than Shwe (reftel). We hope
the increased willingness of Thai politicians to speak out on
conditions in Burma will be sustained. It is unclear whether
the politicians are hoping to shape public opinion on the
issue, or whether they believe they are relfecting growing
public sentiment against the Burmese regime. Regardless of
their motivation, though, this is a positive development.
End Comment.


5. (SBU) The following is the text of the body of the
letter as submitted in its original English form.

BEGIN TEXT:

-We, women members of the Thai Parliament, welcome the
commitment of the Leadership of Myanmar to hold general
elections in 2010. This process will be a major and
significant development for democracy: and which in turn
could bring about national reconciliation in Myanmar.

-We urge that the elections be all inclusive and that the
release of all political prisoners should be a prerequisite
to democratic development and national reconciliation.

-As a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, and as a long
standing democracy advocate, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been an
inspiration not only for the women MPs in Thailand but also
for all adherents and participants of democratic ideals
worldwide. We duly regret what has recently happened to Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi. We believe her action, if committed, was
an act out of mercy and out of her concern for a fellow human
being. The incident warrants no trial and detention.
Lastly, ASEAN has entered into a new phase with its Charter.
As a result, it is hoped that Myanmar, as a signatory to the
ASEAN Charter, ensure its implementation. Therefore, we, the
undersigned women members of the Thai Parliament, strongly
urged the unconditional release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and
other political detainees.

END TEXT.
ENTWISTLE