ASEAN FOREIGN MINISTERS CONSULT OVER MYANMAR CASE

Jakarta, Aug 14 (ANTARA) - Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) are conducting consultations to decide their stance towards the Myanmarese court's recent verdict on Aung San Suu Kyi.

Indonesian foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda said at the presidential office here on Friday after accompanying the head of state receiving Malaysian ambassador Zainal Abidin Muhamman Zain that "we are just conducting consultations at foreign ministerial level. It is already started. It is about how Asean would do in connection with the case."
When asked when the Asean would make the decision he said it would be as soon as possible.

Hassan said the case was connected with democracy and human rights.

He said with the verdict of 18 months in house arrest Aung San Suu Kyi would not be able to participate in that country's general elections next year which the Myanmarese junta had claimed as a multi-party event.

"But as Suu Kyi has been disqualified before the question will be whether the next election will be democratic, inclusive, credible involving all parties," he said.

Hassan said the general elections in Myanmar would affect Asean and therefore the organization had to take a stance.

Before the Indonesian government expressed its disappointment over the verdict on the pro-democracy figure.

Last Tuesday the court in the Insein penitentiary sentenced the Nobel laureate to three years in jail and forced labor for violating her house arrest rules, following the arrival of US citizen John Yettaw to her lakeside house where she was arrested.

The country's regime leader, Than Shwe, reduced the sentence to one and a half year under house arrest.

John Yettaw had swum to the house where Suu Kyi had served 14 of her 20 years under house arrest imposed since the Myanmarese regime denied her party's victory in the general election in 1990.

Critics accused the Myanmar regime of deliberately sentenced Suu Kyi as a pretext to prevent her from taking part in the elections as it was issued just days before her house arrest would end.

The military has ruled that country with an iron fist since 1962.

The case has sparked condemnations from the international community.