He took a dig at military junta for being exceedingly brutal- incarcerating up to 2,100 political prisoners and carrying out a campaign of rape against ethnic-minority women. He further observed that her release at this juncture was a “ploy to tame international criticism of Sunday’s election, which was widely decried in the West as a sham”.
Calling Suu Kyi “a global symbol of moral courage”, he said she has always been an inspiring figure for all those who believe in non-violent struggle.
Notably, she has faced house arrest for 15 of the past 21 years. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, refused to leave Myanmar even when her husband died in 1999.
Analyzing US President’s speech at Parliament, he said while Mr Barack Obama took India to task for not speaking against suppression of human rights in Myanmar, his own failure to take note of India’s serious human rights problems was a matter of concern. “The selective approach of the US leader in raising rights abuses has sent wrong signal”.
“It was reasonably good to hear from the US President that “speaking up for those who cannot do so for themselves is not interfering in the affairs of other countries. It’s not violating the rights of sovereign nations. It’s staying true to our democratic principles”.
However, we wonder what stopped Mr Obama in criticizing the hawkish and repressive policies of his host country towards its minorities. Are the blood of Kashmiris, Nagas, Assamese and Sikhs cheaper than Burmese?, he asked.
He took exception that Mr Obama has conveniently chose to ignore the New York-based Human Rights Watch findings that India had mortgaged its voice on human rights issues in order to pursue strategic ties with Burmese military junta.
Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s observation, he said though India claims to be a functioning democracy yet it’s commitment to the rule of law and respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms was questionable and regrettable.