Sentencing Aung San Suu Kyi

What happened

A court in Myanmar sentenced pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to 18 more months of house arrest on Tuesday, prompting immediate condemnation from world leaders. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was saddened and angered by the sentencing, which he said the military leaders of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, had orchestrated to keep Suu Kyi out of elections next year. (The New York Times)

What the commentators said

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Maybe it's time to acknowledge that the world has failed Aung San Suu Kyi, said World Have Your Say. The military regime said she had violated security laws by letting an American activist visit her while she was under house arrest. But if, as Gordon Brown and other leaders said, the sentencing was "a sham," isn't it time for action, such as tougher sanctions, instead of more harsh words?

Aung San Suu Kyi "must feel so much better as she starts her sentence," said David Hughes in Britain's Telegraph, to know that, once again, Gordon Brown and other foreign dignitaries are condemning her jail keepers, and patting themselves on the back for their courage. Apparently, "windy statements" are what pass for leadership these days.

It may seem like the military leaders in Myanmar have won again, said Tim Johnston in The Washington Post. And, indeed, the sentencing of Aung San Suu Kyi will keep her out of next year's elections. But, even under house arrest, "she remains the regime's most dangerous opponent: the one figure with the ability to unite the fractious and demoralized opposition within the country."