June 8, 2007 - In a fresh effort, the Canadian Parliament has unanimously urged the Burmese military junta to release Burmese pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, under detention for more than 11 of the past 17 years.
The House of Commons or the lower house of the Canadian Parliament on Wednesday unanimously passed a motion urging for the immediate and unconditional release of the Burmese Nobel Peace Laureate.
The motion ais "That this House requests that the Government of Burma release the Leader of the National League for Democracy and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, from house arrest, since 1989."
The motion, sponsored by the Parliamentary Friends of Burma, is the second Burma motion to be passed in the Parliament. The first Burma motion was passed in 2005.
Larry Bagnell, Chair of PFOB in a press release said, "This may be a small step towards democracy in Burma. But it is a step, nonetheless, and Canada will continue to do what it can to see that it happens."
Suu Kyi, leader of Burma's opposition party - the National League for Democracy - has been under house arrest since 1989. Her latest review came up on May 25 but her house arrest term was extended by one year by the military junta, despite world-wide protests.
Tin Maung Htoo, Director of the Canadian Friends of Burma, a group advocating human rights and democracy in Burma, told Mizzima, "It is amazing to see the amount of support the motion gained in Parliament. This is the first ever motion on Burma that has been passed unanimously."
"As it is from the Parliament, where there are various political parties, it represents the sentiments of the people of Canada," Htoo added.
The Parliamentary Friends of Burma, launched in December 2006 in support of democracy and human rights in Burma, currently consists of 28 members including Senators from all parties of the Canadian Parliament.
