Empowering Peaceful Dissent

Even though we are ready to serve the cause of democracy both physically and mentally, we have to consider the circumstances of many people in Burma and move forward o­nly when they are prepared to follow. Our future campaigns aim to be more effective and broader in scope and will use o­nly methods that reflect the true desire of our people. We will systematically organize their participation, which will eventually lead to a turning point in our history.

Q: How do you feel about regional countries that conduct business with Burma’s regime rather than support the democratization of the country?

A: An individual or a country usually acts o­n the basis of self-interest. But that doesn’t mean that actions should lack ethical or moral motives. If their efforts are balanced, then they should be considered. But a state-to-state relationship is narrow. For the long-term interest of Burma, it should be, I believe, a citizen-to-citizen relationship. We welcome good relations built o­n ethics and morality. Even the world powers who voted against the resolution o­n Burma in the UN Security Council acknowledged our country has problems. So these countries should consider the interest of the Burmese people if they want to deal with the country openly and honestly. The state-to-state relationship is just temporary and historically weak.