UN envoy calls for release of Myanmar's Suu Kyi on 81st birthday

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 20: The UN special envoy for Myanmar on Friday called for the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi, as the opposition icon spent her 81st birthday under detention inside the military-controlled nation.

"I have repeatedly raised with Naypyidaw the predicament of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, who was re-elected in November 2020 but condemned to a harsh and punitive detention after the military takeover," Julie Bishop told UN member states, a few weeks after her fourth visit to Myanmar.

"There have been no independent verifiable reports of her circumstances for years. Today, on her 81st birthday, I urge others to join with me in calling for her release." she said.

She added that "in the eyes of many, there can be no progress to peace while ... State Counsellor Daw Suu is held prisoner." Daw is an honorific and state counsellor was her official title before the 2021 military coup against her elected government.�" AFP