Aung San Suu Kyi

* Your bold editorial,”No Freedom for Tortured Myanmar” (July 17),is much appreciated by the Burmese community in the Southland. You have bravely exposed the current situation in Burma. Although the situation is showing some sign of improvement by the release of Nobel Peace laureate and the freedom fighter Aung San Suu Kyi, we agree with you that we should adopt a “wait and see” approach.

You are right in stating that the military junta’s release of Suu Kyi is merely a public relations campaign to improve their image to attract investment.

Suu Kyi herself wants foreign democratic governments to keep up their pressure because it really hurt the military regime. We should continue to put political pressure on this pariah regime. Regime leaders have already said that they would return the country to democracy once they finish drawing up a new constitution. The military junta asked that they be given a permanent role in political leadership while the people of Burma despise them so much. They seem to forget that their only authority emanates from the barrel of the gun.

Before the world thinks about resuming aid to Burma, it should first ask the Burmese military to release all political prisoners, allow Suu Kyi to freely participate in politics without hindrance, to respect the results of the 1990 elections and to undertake genuine democratic reforms.

History is on the side of freedom throughout the world. We remain confident that the aspirations of all Burmese people for basic human rights and representative government will be achieved ultimately.

U HLA SHWE, General Secretary

Federation for Human Rights

& Democracy in Burma

Long Beach