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United States President Barack Obama on Wednesday asked for the 'immediate and unconditional' release of Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize-winner held under house arrest since 2003.
"I call on the Burmese government to release National League for Democracy Secretary General and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi from detention immediately and unconditionally," Obama said in a statement.
The statement comes on the eve of Aung San Suu Kyi's completion of six years of current term of her house arrest. Suu Kyi has spent 13 of the last 19 years under house arrest. The popular leader has been accused of allowing a foreign national to stay at her house for two days.
Aung San Suu Kyi has pleaded not guilty and has argued that the said foreign national entered her house uninvited and she was not responsible for it. Strongly condemning the detention and house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, the US President said her continued detention, isolation, and show trial based on spurious charges cast serious doubt on the Myanmar junta's willingness to be a responsible member of the international community.
"This is an important opportunity for the government in Burma to demonstrate that it respects its own laws and its own people, is ready to work with the National League for Democracy and other ethnic and opposition groups, and is prepared to move towards reconciliation," he said.
Observing that Aung San Suu Kyi has represented profound patriotism, sacrifice, and the vision of a democratic and prosperous Myanmar, Obama said, "It is time for the Burmese government to drop all charges against Aung San Suu Kyi and unconditionally release her and her fellow political prisoners."
"Such an action would be an affirmative and significant step on Burma's part to begin to restore its standing in the eyes of the United States and the world community and to move toward a better future for its people," he said.