New Delhi (mizzima) - Burma’s military rulers on Wednesday denied detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi a meeting with her legal team to discuss a draft of final arguments to be submitted at the special court in Insein prison on Friday.
 
Nyan Win, spokesperson for the legal team, said, “Our request to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi was turned-down, so we could not meet her today.”
 
He added the legal team still aims to consult the Burmese pro-democracy leader on the final draft of defense arguments that will be submitted on Friday, July 24.
 
“I am not sure whether we will be able to meet with her tomorrow,” said Nyan Win, adding that the legal team will, however, go ahead and submit final arguments either way.
 
“But it will be an argument that has not been thoroughly consulted and agreed to by the accused,” he explained.
 
Following Friday’s final arguments, the court is expected to arrive at a verdict in the case, concerning accusations that the Burmese democracy icon violated her detention law by ‘harboring’ an American in her house in early May.
 
Critics and observers claim the junta is using the incident as a pretext to charge, try and sentence her to yet another prison term, so as to clear her out of the picture for next year's planned general election.   
 
Meanwhile, in neighboring Thailand, where leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations along with dialogue partners are gathering for a regional security conference, Burma drew criticism.
 
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who on Wednesday flew to Thailand’s resort island of Phuket where the conference is being held, joined Indonesia in expressing concern over the ongoing trial against Aung San Suu Kyi, saying the junta’s planned elections cannot be considered credible unless the Nobel Peace Laureate is released.
 
Reporting by Myint Maung