The man who recently drove me to the airport escaped Burma a couple of years ago. A political activist, he had protested his country’s military government and faced certain arrest if he stayed. Worse, he had to leave behind his wife and two teenage children. Most definitely, they would not have all survived if they tried to escape together, he told me.
The Burmese military throwing tear gas at demonstrators
What a tragic state of affairs. He stood up for his principles and had to sacrifice life with his loved ones. I assume he thought it was better to be apart than to be thrown into a Burmese prison.
Reportedly a rare photo inside a Burmese prison, taken by a Chinese photographer
But will his escape cause harm to his family?
“Maybe the government will change,” I said, hopefully. “Yes, it might, but it won’t be for a long time,” he answered. (As a matter of fact, the military prohibited a parliamentary government from convening in 1990, I learned from Wikipedia. The military has ruled Burma for 50 years.)
When I try to put myself in this man’s shoes, the idea of leaving my children and family makes me crazy. But living in jail because I protested my government would make me crazy, too.
No human being should have to make choices like this.
0 Responses to “What a terrible choice he had to make”
Susan says:
No, they shouldn’t but it happens every day, every single day, all over the world. Tomorrow is Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s 65yh birthday. She is still the Prime Minister-elect of Burma & still under house arrest. There are many rallies planned for tomorrow on her behalf. It took 27 years of protesting to free Nelson Mandela. One can’t give up; it’s the long haul.
0 Responses to “What a terrible choice he had to make”
Susan says:
No, they shouldn’t but it happens every day, every single day, all over the world. Tomorrow is Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s 65yh birthday. She is still the Prime Minister-elect of Burma & still under house arrest. There are many rallies planned for tomorrow on her behalf. It took 27 years of protesting to free Nelson Mandela. One can’t give up; it’s the long haul.
Thanks for this.
Susan