When I was small, I learned in school about Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma. Her fearless battle to change the dictatorship of the military junta that has been ruling Burma for decades. Now that I have grown up, I still found out that nothing changed in this impoverished country eversince.

In 1990 the ruling Military Junta decided to call for a National Election. Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, National League for Democracy, won decisively. Being the NLD’s candidate, Aung San Suu Kyi under normal circumstances would have assumed the office of Prime Minister. Instead, the results were nullified, and the military refused to hand over power. This resulted in an international outcry. Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest at her home. Up to this day she is still being held on and off under house arrest. She is supposed to be released in May 27 but an incident happened. It involved an American who swam to her residence to meet her, became the basis of the Military governmnet to cancel her release and charged her for violating the conditions of her house arrest. If found guilty, she will have to spend another 5 years not in house arrest but in Insein prison, one of Burma’s notorious. I believe that the Military junta is just making excuses to keep Suu Kyi in prison.

The Military Junta has been in power in Burma for decades, suppressing any liberties there, controlling all censorship and destroying the whole idea of democracy. In my opinion having an iron hand in some policies of the government is allright but what is happening in Burma gradually affected the economy, the living conditions of the citizens and most off all the corruption in the government. The selected few in the position of power have benefited a lot already. I believe the whole world must act now.. not by words but by action. ASEAN, in which Burma is a member, have to decide on putting pressure into the Military Junta. Although ASEAN is limited by the policy of non-interference regarding each countries domestic problems and policies (ASEAN WAY), they have to carve a solution to pressure the junta.

I remember one Burmese friend of mine in 2005 who once asked a question to himself on why there is really no strong international action regarding the Burma issue. He said that unlike Iraq or Afganistan, here the US has no direct benefit to let its country be dragged into Burma’s problem.

Now I began to think that maybe….maybe there is really no mutual benefit for the US or the Western Countries. But does it mean that ASEAN as well has that kind of thinking ?