Senator Feinstein Expresses Concern over News that Imprisoned Burmese Leader is on a Hunger Strike

- Calls on the Military Junta to immediately release Aung San Suu Kyi -
September 4, 2003

Washington DC - U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today expressed her deep concern over news that Aung San Suu Kyi, the imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner, was on a hunger strike. The 58-year-old leader of Burma's National League for Democracy (NLD) and several of her colleagues have been detained since May 30, 2003, when their convoy came under attack by paramilitary thugs.

"I find the news that Aung San Suu Kyi is on a hunger strike to be deeply troubling," Senator Feinstein said. "She is a brave and remarkable woman who has fought tirelessly for the Burmese people for decades now, often at great risk to herself and her supporters. The military dictatorship that is holding her and her colleagues should release them immediately.

I would also urge the international community, particularly ASEAN and the United Nations, to take action to bring pressure to bear on Burma's military junta. Indeed, the U.N. Security Council should hold an emergency session on Burma as soon as possible, to condemn the military government's crackdown on the democratic opposition. This tyrannical regime must know that the world speaks with one voice and that its days are numbered."

On July 28, 2003, President Bush signed the Burmese Freedom Act into law, which imposes economic sanctions on Burma, including a ban of imports from that nation, for the next three years. The law was similar to legislation introduced in the Senate by Senators Feinstein and McConnell (R-KY) on June 3, just days after Aung San Suu Kyi and her colleagues were detained.

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