Imagine being under house arrest for 15 years. That is what Aung San Suu Kyi has been subjected to. And today, Suu Kyi's birthday, there has been renewed effort by the Burmese community and their supporters to win Suu Kyi's freedom.
I have just come from a most moving celebration for Suu Kyi's birthday. This year the Burma Campaign Australia announced that eleven Australian women have been appointed ambassadors for Aung San Suu Kyi.
This is the full list of the ambassadors.
I am very honoured to have been asked to be an ambassador for Aung San Suu Kyi. We were all asked to imagine what Suu Kyi could have done in the last 15 years if she had been free.
I believe that if Suu Kyi had been free for the last 15 years, Burma would be free today, there would be no political prisoners in that country and right now the people of Burma would be preparing for democratic elections, rather than the manipulated election that allows the generals to dictate the outcome.
Today is also Burma Women's Day and a number of Burmese women spoke about their country and their association with Suu Kyi. One woman who spoke, Sylvia, was at the same highschool with Suu Kyi who was two years ahead of her. Sylvia spoke of Suu Kyi's outstanding achievements at school and how she returned from Oxford University to nurse her sick mother in 1988.
Esther, also from Burma, currently studying for her PhD in pathology at Westmead Children's Hospital, described how Suu Kyi inspires her.
Our celebration, complete with cake, candles and birthday cards was held at Sydney Trades Hall. The energy was strong, but there was sadness that for 15 years Suu Kyi and Burma have been denied their freedom.
The 11 women ambassadors have committed to stepping up our work across Australia calling for Suu Kyi to be released from house arrest.
Some useful resources about Burma:
An Amnesty International report on the repression of ethnic minority activists in Myanmar.
Don’t Deal with Burma AdvocacyTool Kit
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