Kofi Annan asks Myanmar leader to release Suu Kyi

Bangkok: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan made a direct appeal to Myanmar's military leader Than Shwe yesterday to free opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose latest detention order expires this weekend.

"I take this opportunity to appeal to General Than Shwe and the government to release her," Annan said in a statement.

"I am relying on you, General Than Shwe, to do the right thing."

"For the democratic process and the reconciliation process to be truly successful, it has to be inclusive and she has a role to play," Annan said.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party, which won a 1990 election by a landslide only to be denied power by the army, should also be allowed to participate in a "national dialogue" on the future of the former Burma, he said.

"I think it would be in the interest of Myanmar, the region and the world at large," Annan said during a visit to Bangkok.

Nobel laureate Suu Kyi has spent more than 10 of the past 16 years behind bars or under house arrest.

Her latest detention started "for her own safety" on May 30, 2003 after clashes between her supporters and pro-junta demonstrators.