How I got started in Burmese politics

I will be dead honest. I started this without much of a passion for Burma. I, like many people, suffered from "Sympathy Fatigue." You know what I mean. As an American, you hear about people preaching for causes all day long. Genocide in Darfur, Save the Whales, Global Warming, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Tibet, and many other causes seem to be competing for our attention, and after a while you just don't care anymore. You learn the attitude, "Hey, people are suffering everywhere in the world, there's nothing I can do about it. I might as well enjoy my life." Essentially, this is how I felt until the summer of 2007.

I was at a bar with a friend, when he told me of his plans to go abroad and volunteer. It sounded very interesting. I'd never been outside of North America, and I do have a broad interest in culture and politics of other countries. This was a good opportunity to travel cheap, and hey, I could do some good at the same time. We looked at a myriad of countries to volunteer in, deciding which sounded most interesting. He mentioned that a former coworker of ours was going to volunteer on the Thai-Burma border helping political refugees. I thought it sounded good, and we looked into the program. Unfortunately, my friend ended up being unable to go, but my brother volunteered to go with me. So we bought our plane tickets to Mae Sot, Thailand and left. I suppose it is cliche to hear people talk about how seeing another country can change your life, but I found out that it really is true. I found my point of view regarding life to be much different after my trip. I learned the usual things: How lucky I am, to be grateful for what I have, how other people's lives are. I also learned that much of the suffering in the world is both needless, and beyond the control of the large majority of those put through it. None of these people are inferior to Americans, they just have the misfortune to be born where others have an unreasonable desire for control and an army to keep it. I also learned that no matter how miserable your situation, you can still be happy. It doesn't mean you shouldn't work hard to improve your situation, but it's still possible to enjoy your life.

During my time in Mae Sot, I met many people who had been through hell and back. Many of these people were intelligent, hardworking, and generous. I learned about the nature of Burmese and Thai people, culture, politics, and (perhaps most importantly) food. I had the honor of meeting many people involved in the struggle for democracy in Burma.

One such person was "Red Dragon", who works for an organization I cannot relay to you, because to give away his identity would put him in serious physical danger. He has sacrificed his future for his country, and he works daily to help his country obtain a government that represents its people.

I also had the honor of meeting with Mr. Myo Myint. Myo Myint was a SLORC (the name for the Burmese military government until they realized how ominous SLORC sounded) soldier until his arm and leg were blown off by artillery detonating a minefield he had finished laying. In the hospital, he learned a great deal about politics in his country, and the repressive nature of the military government. He got involved in politics, helping a well known democratic party. He was subsequently arrested, and imprisoned. Myo Myint, a disabled Burmese army veteran, was tortured in prison for 14 years. He was finally released, and he now sits in a Refugee camp in Thailand, waiting to join his family in the US.

Both Red Dragon and Myo Myint will be regularly contributing to this blog.

Anyways, during my time in Mae Sot, I learned how much these people deserved a government that represented their interests. I realized how very possible that reality is. There is already a legitimate leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, whose NLD party soundly defeated the Military party in 1990. She's recognized both within Burma and internationally for her vast sacrifice and effort towards democracy. Were she to have the ability to govern, it is very likely that peace and stability would reign in Burma. Alas, the military regime, known these days as SPDC (State Peace and Development Council), has had her locked under house arrest for the majority of the last 18 years, and has even attempted to assassinate her.

Things have been quite eventful in Burma lately. Not only did massive non-violent uprisings against the government take place in September 2007, but world has started pretending to pay attention to this issue. The UN has taken some token actions without much movement towards creating progress. That's what the UN does though.

So, the reason I brought you through this whole diatribe was to let you know why I decided to become involved. First, having my perspective changed made me realize that all those suffering people DO matter. They are just like you, and they have people they care about, and the majority of them simply want to raise families, make business, and lead normal lives. They deserve this. Moreover, a simple and possible alternative to the current situation exists. Practically a ready made government is waiting in exile, already possessing the consent of those they mean to govern. All that is needed is to take down the SPDC regime. I feel this can be done. How? That is for future entries to discuss. I look forward to hearing your input, questions, thoughts, and concerns. Thanks for your interest!