May 11, 2009 (DVB), Imprisoned opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's doctor has been detained after visiting Suu Kyi, who is reportedly in poor health following the arrest of an American citizen who broke into her compound last week.
The mystery surrounding US citizen John William Yettaw, who was arrested last Wednesday after swimming across Inya Lake and entering Suu Kyi's compound where she has spent 13 of the last 19 years under house arrest, has deepened following reports that she is now ill.
There has been no evidence however that the sequence of events are linked.
Suu Kyi's regular physician, Dr Tin Myo Win, was refused entry to her house on Thursday by the authorities after requesting to see her. He was then detained.
The following day, his assistant Dr Pyone Mo Ei went to see the 63-year old leader of the National League for Democracy and found her in poor health.
"According to the doctor who checked her health, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s blood pressure was found to have dropped," said NLD spokesperson Nyan Win.
"[The doctor] also found signs of dehydration, and she has been unable to eat properly for four to five days due to loss of appetite."
Suu Kyi's doctor is permitted to visit her on the first Thursday of every month. It is unclear why he was detained by authorities, who have yet to release him.
"She was immediately given IV [intravenous therapy] for her health," said Nyan Win, adding that the doctor had been refused a follow-up visit on Saturday.
"We see the authorities are limiting [Suu Kyi] from receiving medical attention even though there is not any regulation in her house arrest for such a restriction," he said.
The doctor's visit coincided with allegations that the American citizen stayed in Suu Kyi's compound for two days, after which members of Burma's special branch police began searching her house.
It is still not known where Dr Tin Myo Win or the American citizen are being held.
The US embassy in Rangoon said that the Burma's ruling State Peace and Development Council is yet to reply to a request for a meeting with the American citizen.
Reporting by Htet Aung Kyaw
