The Burma Spring: Aung San Suu Kyi and the New Struggle for the Soul of a Nation

530 Pages·2014·5.1 MB·English

by  Pederson

THE
BURMA
SPRING
AUNG SAN SUU KYI
AND THE
NEW STRUGGLE SOUL OF A NATION
FOR THE
RENA PEDERSON
FOREWORD BY LAURA BUSH
PEGASUS BOOKS
NEW YOR LONDON
To the brave people of Burma
and the hope for a better tomorrow
“We are dependent on persons who set examples, persons
who can symbolize what we are seeking and mobilize the
best in us. Aung San Suu Kyi is just such a person. . . .
Knowing she is there gives us confidence and faith in the
power of good.”
—Nobel Peace Prize Chairman
Francis Sejersted 1991
CONTENTS
Foreword
Editor’s Note
Prologue
Map
Introduction
ONE Rangoon, 2003
TWO The Lady Vanishes
THREE The Return of the Native
FOUR The Candidate
FIVE The Prize Winner
SIX A Daughter of Destiny
SEVEN Khin Kyi
EIGHT “Suu”
NINE The Lady of the Lake
TEN The Lives of Others
ELEVEN The General in His Labyrinth
TWELVE The Lords of the Sunset
THIRTEEN Friends in High Places
FOURTEEN The Monks Go on the March
FIFTEEN The Killer Storm
SIXTEEN The Intruder
SEVENTEEN Free At Last
EIGHTEEN The Game of Thrones
A Life in Detention
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Illustrations
FOREWORD
BY LAURA BUSH
R
ena Pederson’s story of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi and the
people of Burma’s struggle for freedom is an important one. I have followed
closely, and with optimism, the changes taking place in Myanmar. My
inspiration for this concern has always been Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Her brave
leadership gives hope to the men and women of Myanmar, and to freedom lovers
worldwide.
In 2006, I convened a roundtable at the United Nations to address the issues
of Burma’s ethnic conflicts, drug trafficking, and the many thousands of
displaced persons. We listened as Burmese activist Hseng Noung described the
rape victims in conflict areas. The youngest victim was 8. The oldest was 80.
Her words silenced the room.
In 2008, with my daughter Barbara, I visited the remote and crowded refugee
camps on the mountainous border between Myanmar and Thailand. There, I saw
the tireless efforts of Dr. Cynthia Maung to provide lifesaving medical aid for
hundreds of refugees in need. I sat with victims of land mine explosions who had
lost legs or feet and were waiting quietly for basic care.
Finally, in 2012, after her long isolation under house arrest had ended, I was
able to meet Daw Suu in person as she was honored with the Congressional Gold
Medal. Daw Suu is not only a symbol of courage, but she is a woman of
tremendous humor, honesty, and grace.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and I serve as co-chairs of the Suu
Foundation. With Daw Suu’s vision and guidance, the foundation supports
education and improved healthcare in Myanmar. The hope that now grows in
Myanmar is a tribute to Daw Suu.
Today, through the George W. Bush Institute’s Liberty and Leadership
Forum, President Bush and I are working with democracy advocates. We hosted
a class of young leaders from all faiths and all regions of Myanmar. These young
people read the foundational thoughts of John Locke and James Madison, as
well as the inspiring speeches of American presidents from Lyndon Johnson to
well as the inspiring speeches of American presidents from Lyndon Johnson to
Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama. They visited George Washington’s historic
home, Mount Vernon, and watched Fourth of July fireworks light up the sky
over our nation’s capitol.
Now, these young leaders are back home in Myanmar with the challenging
new tasks of reform and reconciliation. They will need the help of the world to
make sure that Myanmar has more than a veneer of democracy. And our shared
hope is that they will find the kind of lasting peace that the Burmese have sought
for so long.
EDITOR’S NOTE
I
n 1989, Burma’s military rulers changed the official English name of the
country from “the Union of Burma” to “the Union of Myanmar.” And in 2010,
they changed it once more to “The Republic of the Union of Myanmar.”
Some countries—including the United States and the United Kingdom—
continued to use the country name Burma because the military government that
changed the name to Myanmar had not been elected democratically. Since there
is now a quasi-civilian government in place, the growing trend has been to use
the Myanmar nomenclature around the world.
Because it was still U.S. State Department policy to continue using the
country name Burma at the time of this book’s writing, that is the term used
predominantly here. Myanmar is also used where appropriate.
PROLOGUE
“This is Burma, and it will be quite unlike any land you
know about.”
—Rudyard Kipling, 1898
K
nowing Burma is elusive. The names are tricky for Westerners to pronounce.
There are dozens of ethnic groups and generals to sort out.
But the human drama begs you: Don’t look away. There are saints as well as
soldiers at every turn. The sights and sounds are intoxicating—with an
undercurrent of danger.
Under military rule since the 1960s, Burma became a poisoned Shangri-La, a
garden of good and evil. For decades, everyone was watched. People
disappeared in the night. After the military takeover, Burma became known as “a
tropical East Berlin”—the citizens were walled in and democracy walled out.
Most of the country missed the modernity of the 20th century as a succession of
generals kept a “bamboo curtain” around the country. Only recently have they
begun to loosen their grip.
Despite its hardships, Burma has retained the otherworldly appeal that
Kipling so admired. Away from the bustle of Rangoon and Mandalay, you
discover lakes of dream-like blue and quiet villages untouched by time. Giant
golden temples—Eiffel Towers of faith—dot the landscape and remind you that
Burma is the heartland of Therav da Buddhism, the oldest surviving branch of
the “teaching of the elders.”
Most Burmese—both men and women—still wear the traditional wrap-
around sarong called a longyi, so they walk with an easy, languid grace. It is said
that the Burmese are “the most charming oppressed people in the world,” and it
is true. Their earnest efforts to please (“Tea for you?”) make it easy to fall under
Burma’s spell.
Geographically, it’s a country the size of Texas, but with about twice the
population, more than 50 million.
The overall shape of the country is often described as that of a kite with a
drooping tail. Or, depending on your sense of poetry, a jagged diamond with a