Suu Kyi tries to save face with Myanmar reporters’ release

After relentless diplomatic pressure and global outrage, fallen democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi finally decided that a pardon for two Myanmar journalists jailed for reporting on a Rohingya massacre was the only way to resolve an issue that has dogged her government for nearly 18 months.Observers say the unexpected release of the two Reuters reporters was a political decision timed to save face for the country’s civilian leader, after a vigorous international campaign that saw Amal Clooney join their legal team, Time magazine put the pair on their cover, and journalism awards and honours pile up -- including the prestigious Pulitzer Prize.A presidential pardon freed Wa Lone, 33, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 29, from prison on Tuesday to a media frenzy and messages of congratulations from the White House to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.The pair spent more than 500 days behind bars under colonial-era state secrets convictions after probing the extrajudicial killing of 10 Rohingya Muslims during a military crackdown. Global attention on the reporters and the damage already done to the country’s reputation were "potentially costly" to the government, said independent analyst Richard Horsey.Nobel Laureate Suu Kyi -- already seen as a pariah by many for perceived complicity in the Rohingya’s plight -- provoked outcry when she refused to intervene, insisting "rule of law" must be followed.The abrupt decision to release the pair this week was made because Myanmar’s leaders had "taken into consideration the long-term interest of (the) country", said government spokesman Zaw Htay.Retired Thai diplomat Kobsak Chutikul, who has worked in an advisory capacity to Suu Kyi’s government, told AFP that senior officials had all known a pardon must be granted at some point but "nobody felt they could bring this up with her".Political timing was also a factor, observers say. Myanmar is due to go to the polls next year and this was a chance to "get it out of the way" beforehand rather than risk overshadowing the vote, Kobsak said.Behind the international condemnation, backroom diplomacy appears to have played a key role in convincing Suu Kyi to pardon the reporters. One man waiting among the crowds outside the gates of Yangon’s notorious Insein Prison was British health expert Lord Ara Darzi, whose name barely came up during regular media coverage of the saga.A close confidant of Suu Kyi, he has regularly visited the country over the past two years in an advisory role on a Rakhine state commission. But he has known the leader for years, and hosted her in London after her release from house arrest.

from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2WzbJYz