In line with the celebration of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s 62^nd birthday, women workers under the Free Burma Coalition-Philippines and Asia Pacific Solidarity Coalition (APSOC) today held a protest action in front of the Burma Embassy in Makati City and further denounced Burmese regime’s decision last month to extend Aung San Suu Kyi’s term of house arrest for another 6 months. The group called not just for Aung San Suu Kyi’s release from house arrest but also for the freedom of the rest of political prisoners who are still languishing in Burmese jails.

In line with the celebration of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s 62^nd birthday, women workers under the Free Burma Coalition-Philippines and Asia Pacific Solidarity Coalition (APSOC) today held a protest action in front of the Burma Embassy in Makati City and further denounced Burmese regime’s decision last month to extend Aung San Suu Kyi’s term of house arrest for another 6 months. The group called not just for Aung San Suu Kyi’s release from house arrest but also for the freedom of the rest of political prisoners who are still languishing in Burmese jails.

Activists who are also members of militant labor groups *Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) and Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) said that the continued detention of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi showed nothing but “cowardice of the junta” to face the leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD), the biggest opposition group in Burma.

Aung San Suu Kyi, 62, has spent 11 of the last 17 years of her political life under house arrest in Burma, this, amid increasingly vocal international demands for her immediate and unconditional release. She has been under detention since May 2003.Despite repeated demands to Free Aung San Suu Kyi, the junta continuously snubs the international community.

The group brought *a huge replica of a “prison cell” representing Burma as a garrison state and “white doves” symbolizing their demand to free Daw Suu and all political prisoners in Burma.

Calling for her immediate release from house detention is the best gift that women workers could offer to Daw Suu. Aung San Suu Kyi, as a non-violent leader doesn’t deserve to be imprisoned. The junta should instead free her if the military regime is indeed sincere to attain national reconciliation,” the group said.

“The junta’s decision to extend Aung San Suu Kyi’s term of house arrest is a blunder. If the junta is sincerely desirous of arriving at a national reconciliation for the sake of Burma, it must seek a workable formula. By extending Daw Suu’s term of house arrest, the junta missed the point,” activists said.

The group added, “This is more than fighting for Aung San Suu Kyi’s freedom. This is about fighting for genuine democracy and human rights. The junta has no right to treat their own people like animals.”

For more information: Pls contact Egoy Bans and Gani Abunda at *0919-6605920,* *0920-9132472 *or call *435-2900 or 911-0205