British Embassador Diary

28 May 2009 
The Guardian - The verdict on Aung San Suu Kyi has already been decided
British ambassador's Aung San Suu Kyi trial diary

The British ambassador in Burma, Mark Canning, is one of the few outsiders to have been allowed into the courtroom to witness parts of the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi. In the first part of a series on her trial, he recounts his experiences.

Perhaps only here in Burma could the bizarre events of the last few days have unfolded. Out of the blue, a show trial has been mounted by the country's military rulers against Aung San Suu Kyi. Her offence? To allow an American intruder into her property, thereby breaching the terms of the detention to which she's been subject since May 2003. This is surely the only place where the victim of the break-in ends up being charged.

Lying behind this is the regime's plan for stage-managed elections in 2010. Suu Kyi spoiled the party in 1990, and they are not about to allow it to happen again. So when the generals learned of the strange happenings in Rangoon, they must have seized on it with some joy: here was a way to negotiate the awkwardness of the expiry of her current term of house arrest and to set the custodial clock ticking afresh.

19 May
Things haven't gone quite to plan. The trial has whipped up a storm of criticism. Burma's neighbours have been outspoken, making clear that the "honour and credibility" of the country is at stake. It's brought Suu Kyi back to centre stage and reminded everyone what an important figure she is. It's provided further evidence – if it was needed – of how the 2010 polls will be conducted. In the face of all this, the generals have tacked and conceded access to the courtroom for foreign diplomats.