The Burmese Prime Minister - elect and pro-democracy activist and leader of the National League of Democracy party in Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi, remains under arrest in Insein Prison, which is controlled by the military junta of Myanmar, today, on her 64th birthday.'Don't just depend on the courage and intrepidity of others. Each and every one of you must make sacrifices to become a hero possessed of courage and intrepidity. Then only shall we all be able to enjoy true freedom.'
The effort necessary to remain uncorrupted in an environment where fear is an integral part of everyday existence is not immediately apparent to those fortunate enough to live in states governed by the rule of law. Just laws do not merely prevent corruption by meting out impartial punishment to offenders. They also help to create a society in which people can fulfil the basic requirements necessary for the preservation of human dignity without recourse to corrupt practices. Where there are no such laws, the burden of upholding the principles of justice and common decency falls on the ordinary people. It is the cumulative effect on their sustained effort and steady endurance which will change a nation where reason and conscience are warped by fear into one where legal rules exist to promote man's desire for harmony and justice while restraining the less desirable destructive traits in his nature. (Freedom from Fear Speech, 1990 Aung San Suu Kyi)
Kyi comes from a politically active family, which weilds great respect from the opressed Burmese community: her father, Aung San, founded the modern Burmese army and negotiated Burma's peace from the United Kingdom - though he was assinated by his oppenents in the same year. She has been leading the pro-democracy movement in Burma since the 1980s, inspired by the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, non-violent philosophy, and Buddhist ideology. Since 1989, Kyi has been placed under house arrest several times under the Burmese dictatorship: because of this she was only able to see her husband 5 times before he died of prostrate cancer and she remains separted from her children living in the United Kingdom.
In the past, Kyi has been offered freedom if she leaves her country, but she has refused: beliving the freedom of her people more valuable than her own. In 1991, she was awarded the Noble Peace Prize.
Now in prison yet again, there are reports that Kyi is suffering from dehyradation, low blood pressure, and weight loss. Take action for Kyi - give her hope on her birthday via Amnesty International here.
