Monday, November 22, 2010


Aung San Suu Kyi's son granted Burma visa

• Pro-democracy leader to be reunited with youngest son
• Censors suspend publications over release coverage
Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy, is to see her youngest son for the first time in 10 years. Photograph: Khin Maung Win/AP
Aung San Suu Kyi is to see her youngest son for the first time in 10 years after he was granted a visa to enter Burma.
Kim Aris, 33, travelled from his home in London to Bangkok this monthwhen rumours emerged of his mother's impending release, but his application for a Burmese visa was initially denied.
News of the reunion came as Burma suspended several magazines that prominently covered Aung San Suu Kyi's release from house arrest on 13 November.
Aris is expected to arrive in Rangoon tomorrow morning, Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyer, Nyan Win, told the BBC Burmese service. Aris said his mother planned to meet him at the airport in Rangoon.
The pro-democracy leader, 65, has not seen Kim or her eldest son, Alexander, for about 10 years. Her husband, the Oxford University academic Michael Aris, died in the UK in 1999. While Michael was dying from cancer the junta offered to let Aung San Suu Kyi fly to the UK to see him, but she refused, guessing she would never be allowed back into the country.
Eight publications in the country have been suspended by government censors after they prominently published news and photographs about Aung San Suu Kyi's release.
The editor of one of the privately-owned publications said the press scrutiny board cited the size of a supplementary section about Aung San Suu Kyi as a violation of regulations.
The magazines had printed photos of Aung San Suu Kyi in full-colour supplements, which were used as wraparound covers when the issues were put on sale. Daily and electronic media in Burma are monopolised by the state, and private publications must submit their material to the censorship board.
Weekly Eleven news reported that First Eleven Sports Journal and Hote news magazine have been suspended for two weeks; 7 Day News, Venus, Myanmar Newsweek, Hlyat Tapyet (Snap Shot), Myanmar Post, Pyithu Khit and The Voice weekly each received a one-week suspension.
"The press scrutiny watchdog said we violated the regulations by printing the second cover the same size as the actual magazine, but I think the real reason is for using her photo on the cover," said an editor of 7 Day News, who asked not to be named.
An unnamed editor at First Eleven said the sports publication could have received its two-week suspension for a front-page headline on a football story that read: "Sunderland Freeze Chelsea; United Stunned By Villa & Arsenal Advance To Grab Their Hope".
Shading on certain letters of the headline meant it could have been read as: "Su Free. Unite & Advance To Grab The Hope." (source: guardian.co.uk)
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