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I want to bring into awareness and into discussion the situation in Burma. In brief what initially started as a civilian protest against the economic state of the country has turned into a nation-wide rally for pro-democractic change led fearlessly by the sacred monk class. They are revered, sacred people leading a movement for governmental reform against the military regime, one of a few in the world. The monks' recent action into politics has the government in fear. Citizens, who themselves fear to protest, are now coming out of their shells and under the lead of the monks are in city streets protesting against the regime. The tensions are escalating between the two sides: the junta and the monks, who also symbolic of the people. Only time will tell when the government begins to unleash gunfire against the Burmese people. Admist this developing story, one person, living in house arrest, has gotten the rightfully deserved international attention. Her name is Aung San Suu Kyi. She is a frail elderly woman, but Aung San, known to many of her people as "aunt" is the country's living symbol of democracy in an otherwise undemocratic dictatorship. In 1990, she won the national elections by a large majority--winning 60% of the votes--but only to be taken into house arrest some weeks later by a cowardly regime. She has since been in house arrest 11 out of the past 17 years. Her efforts and defiance have not gone undocumented, having won a Nobel Peace while in house detainment, some have even dubbed her as a "prettier version of Gandhi." firmly support Aung San's efforts, and I hope that you, too, will be motivated by her life and support Aung San's efforts for a democratic Burma. Meanwhile, I ask of you, the readers, to voice your opinions about these issues to your Senators and politicians. May her release from house arrest and the eventual democracy for Burma be a swift and uneventful one. *Note: the current situation in Burma is eerily similar to the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. In fact, it was only a year before the Tiananmen massacre that the 8888 Uprising, a peaceful revolution demanding democracy led by STUDENTS (where have we seen that before?) occurred. Ironically, due to its close economic ties to Burma, China has the ultimate power to pressure the Burmese government for reform through means of economic sanctions.
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