Not So Happy Birthday

This last Sunday was the 60th birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi, the democratically elected leader of Burma. I have written about her in the past. Her party won a landslide election in Burma in 1990, and she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. The ruling military junta refused to allow her and her party to take office after the election. She was arrested, along with many others, and has been under house arrest for about ten of the last 16 years. During times she is not under house arrest, her movements are closely monitored and she is not allowed to speak in public. She has at times been denied the right to travel outside the country, and at other times she has chosen not to leave (like when her husband was on his deathbed in Europe) because it was known that she would not be allowed back into Burma, or Myanmar, as the ruling junta calls the country. She is currently under house arrest again (the ruling junta actually claim it is for her safety) and was alone on her birthday, as no visitors were allowed. She is not even allowed access to a piano, which is reportedly one of her great pleasures in life. I know that's not as cruel as the killings of thousands that they've done over the years, but still. So, 16 years after she should have taken office as the prime minister of Burma she spends her 60th birthday alone and locked up.

And what have the great western democracies done about it? Well, nothing really. Sure, our president is great at lip service, and we supposedly have economic sanctions against "Myanmar". But for some reason the U.S. company UNOCAL is able to keep pumping oil and natural gas out of Burma and put millions of dollars in the hands of the oppressors of the Burmese people. So those sanctions aren't working so well. And Europe has done no better. And countries such as India, Bangladesh, Thailand and China(no surprise there) have done even worse and actively supported the evil regime outright.

I'm sorry the leaders of the world have abandoned you Ms. Suu Kyi. And I'm sorry you spent you birthday alone, and without music.

But I wish you a happy birthday regardless, Madame Prime Minister. I hope the next one is very different. You are a hero and an inspiration. You, and your people, deserve better.