Tuesday, June 19, 2007
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today released the following statement on the ongoing detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma, on her 62nd birthday:
“Birthdays are supposed to be celebrations--moments of joy spent with friends and family. Today is Aung San Suu Kyi’s 62nd birthday and it will be neither of these. She will spend this day, as she has eleven of her last seventeen birthdays, under house arrest -- the continuing target of a repressive military junta that rules Burma with an iron fist and has mismanaged the country both economically and politically.”
“The junta fears Aung San Suu Kyi, because in 1990, the people of Burma overwhelmingly chose her and her National League for Democracy to lead the country. To this day, the Burmese military has ignored the election results. But, she has not let them forget. Risking her own safety, she has consistently spoken out against the government’s imprisonment of its critics and its violations of human rights.”
“The world has taken note. For her steadfast bravery she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and, characteristically, used the $1.3 million award to establish a health and education trust for the Burmese people. By contrast, the junta has ignored the health and safety of its citizens, generating over 2 million refugees, making the country a center for heroin and methamphetamine production, and driving the country to the brink of economic collapse.”
“Today, I stand in solidarity with Aung San Suu Kyi, call for her immediate and unconditional release, and look forward to the moment when she can celebrate her birthday with friends, family and colleagues in joy and in freedom.”
News Posted by Thawngsian Tung
KAMATA