The Washington Post reports that, according to a State Department official, the release of the American prisoner was "serendipitous."
The Burmese ruling junta, naturally, would like to become less of an outcast while continuing its repressive ways. Thus, it wasn't exactly serendipitous that it responded to Webb's visit by releasing the American prisoner. Rather, as human rights groups have noted, the release was a cynical ploy intended to divert attention from the regime's decision to extend the house arrest of Burmese hero Aung San Suu Kyi. As Jeremy Woodrum, director of the U.S. Campaign for Burma put it: "The regime played its hand perfectly; they get a whole host of publicity from Webb's visit. . .and they have a pretext for keeping Sun Kyi under arrest."
While Webb is trying to relieve Burma's isolation, Human Rights Watch is calling on the U.N. Security Council to impose an arms embargo on Burma and to create a commission to investigate the commission of war crimes.
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