Suu Kyi of Burma (Myanmar)

It is hard to believe that Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Price Winner and head of the Burma (Myanmar) national movement for democracy is still under house arrest. It was 12 years ago on September 2, 1995, when I listened to her video speech to 4000 women and men in a packed main hall of the NGO Forum on Women at Huairou in China, a parallel event to the United Nations Fourth World Conference in Beijing. She said then that intolerance breeds insecurity and without security there can be no lasting peace. At that time, I thought, that after receiving a Nobel Peace Prize, soon she would be free. I join women and men around the world pleading for her freedom. We never thought that our global campaigning for her release still have to go on to these days without any success. After Ibrahim Gambari, UN Secretary-General envoy recent visit to her and to the members of Myanmar Military Government, negotiations between the two sides have resumed. The Military Government has set some conditions for her release but has rejected the demand from the Security Council to stop arresting people for wanting democracy, and has refused a visit by the International Red Cross official to talk to detainees. The situation in Burma (Myanmar) continues to be very bad for the people, not only inside the country but for its neighbors. It will not be improved without a stronger intervention from other members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China and India, which have benefit from trade relations with the Myanmar Military Regime. All these years, I don’t see how ASEAN could tolerate aggressive/suppressive behavior of one of its members towards their own citizens.

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