Maehara renews call for Myanmar's early release of Aung San Suu Kyi

HANOI, Oct. 30 (Kyodo) - Japan urged Myanmar again Saturday to release pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, a Japanese government official said.
Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara made the call to his Myanmar counterpart Nyan
Win during talks on the sidelines of a series of regional meetings involving
Myanmar and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and
their dialogue partners.
Nyan Win did not give any clear response to Japan's renewed call to release Suu
Kyi, the official said.
Suu Kyi has been detained, mostly under house arrest, for most of the past two
decades since her National League for Democracy won a landslide victory in
elections in 1990.
Maehara was also quoted as urging Myanmar to make final efforts to conduct the Nov. 7 election in an ''open and fair'' manner.
In response, Myanmar's foreign minister said the election may not be conducted in the same way as in Japan, but stressed the importance of pursuing the election in line with the law, according to the official.
Nyan Win also expressed hope that most Myanmarese would vote, despite some people boycotting the process, the official said.
Because of her conviction, Suu Kyi is not allowed to stand for office and her NLD has boycotted the vote, calling it neither free nor fair.