Suu Kyi trial postponed as UN chief arrives in Burma

(DVB)–Judges at the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi have adjourned the next hearing until 10 July on the day UN Secretary General arrives in Burma for high-profile talks with government leaders.

The trial was due to resume today, and would have coincided with the first day of a two-day visit to the country by Ban Ki-moon, during which he will meet with Senior General Than Shwe and members of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

Pressure on Ban Ki-moon to achieve results is huge, although he told the BBC recently that he “[does] not believe my trip should be seen as a make or break event”, although said yesterday that the trip would be “very difficult”.

In the face of near certainty that Suu Kyi’s trial will end in a guilty verdict, Ban has said he will strongly urge the ruling junta to release all political prisoners and create conditions necessary for free and fair elections next year.

Earlier this week an appeal to allow two of Suu Kyi’s witnesses to testify in her defence, following their disqualification in May, was rejected, leaving her with just two witnesses.

The Insein prison courtroom where Suu Kyi is on trial announced this morning that the next hearing had been adjourned until 10 July.

“We arrived to the courtroom around 10am [today], as scheduled for the hearing, and a judge told us we are reappointed to July 10,” said one of the remaining witness, Khin Moe Moe.

The reason, she said, was that Suu Kyi case file “has not yet arrived back from the central court”.

“There is no huge distance between the central court and this court [in Insein prison] but I don’t understand why it has to take them so long transferring a case file,” she said, adding that they had been allowed to meet with Suu Kyi.

All four defendants – Suu Kyi, her two caretakers Khin Khin Win and Win Ma Ma, and John Yettaw – were present this morning, Khin Moe Moe said.

Reporting by Naw Say Paw