Sydneysiders unite to support Aung San Suu Kyi

Sydneysiders held a candlelight vigil for Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi protesting her 18-month sentence to house arrest this week. More than 150 supporters convened in Martin Place Wednesday in a show of solidarity for the Nobel laureate’s continuing plight.

Both local residents and Burmese expats attended the sombre vigil, which aimed to raise community awareness of the ongoing political volatility inside Myanmar. Event co-ordinator Zetty Brake, of Burma Campaign Australia (BCA), described the mood of the gathering as “sad but hopeful”.

“There was sadness that [Aung San Suu Kyi] continues to be detained. The sentence has achieved the aim to exclude her from the people and the [upcoming 2010] election. But there was hope too, since we know there is local support for her,” Brake said.

Candlelight vigils for Aung San Suu Kyi were also held in Melbourne and Perth throughout the week.

Last week Defence Minister John Faulkner announced government support for a global arms embargo against Myanmar. BCA spokesperson Dr Myint Cho believes the commitment is a “significant step in bringing around real change in Burma”.

But some Burmese-Australians are not as hopeful. They say Aung San Suu Kyi’s latest conviction confirms that the democratic future of Myanmar is bleak.

“She will never gain power. The military are too strong-willed and won’t just give it up,” a Burmese woman, who now lives in Sydney’s CBD, said. “She is fighting for her father, for the Burmese people.”

Aung San Suu Kyi’s father, General Aung San, was assassinated by military insurgents during a cabinet meeting in 1947. He has been described as a ‘hero’ of Burmese independence.

Aung San Suu Kyi, 64, is leader of the National League for Democracy in Myanmar. She won the 1990 democratic election in a landslide victory, but the ruling military junta refused to surrender power. She has been under house arrest for 14 of the past 20 years.

Her crumbling lakeside house is guarded by heavily armed military personnel. “The neighbours that live near Daw Aung must pass ID checkpoints every time they come home. No-one else can enter the street,” a former neighbour said.

Opposition to the military regime is rife throughout Myanmar and around the world. For the Burmese community in Myanmar, fear of heavy punishment has prevented most locals from airing their discontent to foreign media.

“Their outgoing emails are screened, international phone calls are tapped. The locals are too scared to speak out,” said a Burmese expat, who wishes to remain anonymous. “The state controls everything.”

The Myanmar Embassy in Canberra declined to comment.

– By Monica Schubert