U2Fanatic4ever
Blue Crack Addict
Here's to hoping this actually happens..
AFP: Myanmar to free Suu Kyi days after election: officials
AFP: Myanmar to free Suu Kyi days after election: officials
she's going to be freaked when she walks out and there's 10,000 people wearing a mask of her likeness
she's going to be freaked when she walks out and there's 10,000 people wearing a mask of her likeness
I'm not going to hold my breath until this all actually happens.
she's going to be freaked when she walks out and there's 10,000 people wearing a mask of her likeness
I'm not going to hold my breath until this all actually happens.
So no more Walk On on this tour?
Way to go Aung San Suu Kyi My is with you
It seems inconceivable at this point that Suu Kyi will be allowed to present or spearlead any serious challenge to the junta. Bono analogized her to Mandela in heralding her release yesterday, and while I think that's absolutely an appropriate analogy on a moral level, unfortunately it's not apt on a political level. When De Klerk's government released Mandela, it was an admission of moral and political defeat and an intentional first step towards South Africa's first multiracial elections; the junta, by contrast, are freeing Suu Kyi because they feel confident enough in their lock on power following their landslide "victory" in last week's "elections" to show a little PR-enhancing "goodwill." Meanwhile, an estimated 2200 other political prisoners remain trapped in the regime's prisons, torture chambers and forced labor camps, some of whom have been imprisoned since before Suu Kyi was first arrested in 1989. At the moment, the greatest intrigue is simply to see how she'll respond to the very different political reality from her last time 'out'; the opposition has become far more diversified--philosophically, ethnically and geographically--and includes many young activists who respect Suu Kyi (as was clear in Rangoon yesterday, she remains the most beloved national figure), but emphatically do not consider her their leader. It will also be interesting to see how the West responds to her change of stance on international sanctions, which have hurt the regime little but the average citizen a great deal.
Still, a great moment is a great moment.
A release to celebrate – but this is not a 'Mandela moment'
Aung San Suu Kyi's allies in the west must not let their support for her wane
Editorial, The Observer, Sunday 14 November 2010
It is a profoundly moving moment: a fragile but steely 65-year-old woman, banished from sight for 15 of the last 21 years, emerges smiling into the light, surrounded by cheering supporters. She wears a flower in her hair. Aung San Suu Kyi is free at last. Those who have campaigned for her release, including many western governments, have cause to celebrate. But this is not yet a defining moment in Burmese history, let alone the "Mandela moment" some believe they see.
Nelson Mandela was freed because those who ruled South Africa knew the game was up, that apartheid was unsustainable. Burma's military rulers, by contrast, are determined to prolong their grip on power. They have held a bogus election and the party they created to win it has duly won. A general in a lounge suit is prime minister. Some nations, eyeing new trade opportunities, will be amenable to the idea of easing sanctions. Achieving that end is one of the calculations behind Suu Kyi's release.
She is a symbol of hope, fortitude and strength – one Nobel peace prizewinner whose reputation never falters. But the generals may also reckon that she is a symbol from the past who might struggle to engage with the reality of modern Burma. Her own party, which didn't contest the election, is split. Her tactical options are narrow and perilous. She has, after all, been locked away twice before. If she causes trouble, she could quickly rejoin the 2,000 unreleased political prisoners
The obstacles facing Suu Kyi and the movement she leads are profound. The resolve of those who have supported her against oppression will also be tested. The generals are playing a tactical game, making a symbolic gesture of Suu Kyi's release as cover for manoeuvres to consolidate their control over Burma. They should not be allowed any credit for such a cynical ploy.
Suu Kyi's challenge began again yesterday, out in the open at last. So begins also a new challenge for her friends abroad, whose solidarity must not wane as the cheers at her release inevitably fade.
I'm keeping my mask handy, she may be rearrested