The Association of Southeast Asian Countries' ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Caucus has called on Burma's military government to release pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
A statement issued today-Wednesday by Parliamentary Caucus Chairman Zaid Ibrahim of Malaysia, calls on the Burmese government to respect international practices of human rights and justice and unconditionally release Aung San Suu Kyi when her current house arrest term expires May 27th.
The ASEAN caucus also called on the United Nations to demand the release of the pro-democracy activist.
The group says the recent visit to Burma by UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari and his meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi were very positive. But they say those steps must be followed up by concrete actions.
Burma's military leadership crushed a pro-democracy movement in 1988, and refused to recognize election results after a landslide victory by the National League for Democracy in 1990.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the NLD, has spent 10 of the past 16 years in detention, mostly under house arrest.