Mehdi Hasan

Mehdi Hasan’s polemical take on politics, economics and foreign affairs

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Hooray! Aung San Suu Kyi is free

This is a momentous day for Burma and for the world.

From the BBC:

The military authorities in Burma have released the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

She has appeared in front of a crowd of her supporters who rushed to her house in Rangoon when nearby barricades were removed by the security forces.

The Nobel Peace Prize-winner has been detained for 15 of the past 21 years.

For once, it's difficult to disagree with David Cameron, who said her release has been "long overdue", adding:

Aung San Suu Kyi is an inspiration for all of us who believe in freedom of speech, democracy and human rights.

Hear, hear!

You can read the BBC's profile of her here.

John Pilger recalls his last conversation with Aung San Suu Kyi here.

And you can read Peter Popham's piece in the New Statesman, from June, in which he explains why she "remains the most potent force fighting to preserve the opposition in her country", here.

31 comments

stuart's picture

just makes me puke buckskins the way these socalist and communist goverments treat there people and enslave them in a world of misery and pain,thank god we smashed the evil of nazis and communist idealogy of oppression..

Mr. Divine's picture

two great posts stuart.

Mr. Divine's picture

make that three great posts as the next's one is bound to be a winner.

Mr. Divine's picture

GOAL

peekey's picture

Dear suu kyi: pl move out of Burma, be with your children and sign a teaching assignment in Britain or U.S.A. Educate (not only literate)the upcoming generation the human values and human dignity,so people on this earth can live in peace, harmony and complimentary.This is urgent and utmost necessity of society (not of state).Society is being evolved on values and wisdom; property of self: the conscious part of human whereas state is developed on generality of particulars by force and power(not the values and wisdom):the quality of body(not the self); sensuous or inert part of human.Therefore no state can honor value, wisdom and existential justice.I will be grateful if this mail is forwarded to Ms kyi. My mail id is pcharihar84@gmail.com

Daniel Taghioff's picture

Interesting, this idea that Cameron has values. He is a PR man for pity's sake.

If Cameron was really concerned he could cut all arms deals with Burma.

Aaah, but oops, arms dealers are major donors to the Tories:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1086444/Now-Cameron-faces-dodgy-...

Oh, another island of human rights, Saudi Arabia...

swatantra's picture

She has shown the whole world what true sacrifice really means and the Generals should be ashamed and humbled. But he only way forward for Burma is Reconciliation as preached by Gandhi King and Mandela. Peace and Reconciliation and Truth and Prosperity and Fulfilment is the Buddhist way. We are all part of that intricate Circle of Life and are fate is already determined. We are not masters of or destiny.

Chris's picture

Great that she's free, but for how long? Who really trusts those generals not to find a reason to lock her up again soon? And as others have pointed out here, what about the other 2,000 or so political prisoners? When will they be freed?

Pearl's picture

This is a day to be remembered in the history of Myanmar, hope that it is the beginning to regain lost human rights and values

writeoff's picture

@Jeff Maybe so but that's what the UN calls it, and even a tinpot dictatorship has a greater right to name its own country than their former colonial masters.

393hkwxwia's picture

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RK's picture

Aung San Suu Kyi....now that is what we call hero. Sheer Guts.

jeremiah's picture

This woman has balls but the Generals are still in charge...

triedeinsursE's picture

Hooray is it, she gets out the house a few days after the elections and it’s Hooray from Mehdi. She is not free, no one is Burma is free. One word out of place or too much attention given to her from the world’s free press, and it’s back to soaps and obscurity for her.

writeoff's picture

It's certainly a momentous day for Myanmar. And possibly Rhodesia too Mehdi, according to the map you must be using..

Luddite's picture

What a wonderful women she is..

jeremiah's picture

@Writeoff. The name of the country is Burma. It was that tinpot dictatorship who renamed it.

Jeff Stranks's picture

There are not many things to celebrate these days, and this 'release' may be only temporary.
But if there is anyone who can't celebrate the liberation of this remarkable woman, and tip their hats, then they must needs be in a sad state.
May she live long and well - and the people of her country too.

ang's picture

She is still beautifull st 65 and she did say that she was not in fear, during her house arrest, unlike many of the Burmese People.
I don't know what will happen, over the comign months, but we need people like her in our own country to stand up for ordinary peoople.

ang's picture

Didn't heck my mistake!

jeremiah's picture

I hope Suu Kyi is a future Dr. King or Gandhi. A person who fought oppression and cruelty with an Iron will and won.

ang's picture

Because I cannot post a comment at the moment on other sites, I just want to say how happy I am that these brave poeple (the Chandelers) have been releaesd by the thugs who, patrol these seas.
I have to say that the marvelously, virile and arrogant Cameron had absolutely nothing to do with their release. He would have seen them rot,than cough up some ransom. His priority is attacking the poor in his own counry.

jeremiah's picture

PS. I hope she does not come to the same end as those men!

stuart's picture

great news that aung san suu kyi has been released from from this brutal burmese socalist dictatorship,but lets not forget about the 2000 other politacal prisoners been held in burmese jails and demand there release,and demand socalist cuba release all there politacal prisoners..

Dr_Paul's picture

I certainly feel that Aung San Suu Kyi should be freed, but what concerns me is that her actual politics are a mystery. Nowhere in the articles referred to above do I find anything that can enlighten me. That the military government keeps her under house arrest is scandalous, her dogged determination to hold out against the generals is admirable, but does she have a political programme that can offer a positive alternative to the generals?

triedeinsursE's picture

Another excellent post Stuart.

Cheers mate.

swatantra's picture

Its an important point. She could turn out to be another Benazir Bhutto or another Nelson Mandela. We simply don't know. What we do know is that she is a lot better than the Generals. Everyone would like Myanamar to become a Shangri La, a place of peace tranquilty and another Asian Tiger. The Generals are holding back Burmas economic progress. Even she says she wants the sanctions removed, because sanctions always clobber the poor and disadvantaged most.

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stuart's picture

i just watched that interview by john simpson of the bbc with aung san suu kyi,what a brave and women of courage she is,and what a rotten corrupt communist state burma and them cowardly generals are.

jie4v7i14's picture

Totally off topic, but a message to Clegg, from suposedly Sheffield, youself, it is said, one of their seated representatives. These are from Sheffield, Pinnochio, a fair average couple of voters,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcoGU5i9E9s

Trying to turn great ol' britonland into some sort of Burma, cleggy, you tulip farmer? And by the way, you are giving dutch ancestry a bad name with your nonsense, day by day. I pity your future respect with your supposedly same level of piers. You do not know the brit totally fucking torys, do you cleggy, at all?

These immigrants, they have got to live at least a couple of hundred years before being in a place of power deciding what is best for the rest of us.

Cleggy, you blagged your way to be a leader of one of our major political parties, and now you are blagging anything for the old cant torys.

Message over.

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