Aung San Suu Kyi Awards Detained Burmese Supporters
- 13 years ago
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Burma has been ruled by a military junta for nearly 50 years. Authorities there have led a slew of crackdowns on democracy activitists or anyone who tries to challenge their power. But the country's foremost leader for democracy is continually challenging the power of the authorities... this time by rewarding activists currently detained.
Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi presents Unknown Heroes awards to relatives of three detained political dissidents on Sunday.
The recipients of the award are serving political prisoners, including a Buddhist monk.
Suu Kyi gave each of them the cash award of about $1,250 through their relatives and friends.
The award is the first of its kind, and the fund was donated by Burmese working in Japan.
An award committee selected the three recipients from over 2,000 prisoners of conscience.
Buddhist monk U Eindaga, who is in his mid 50s, played a leading role in the monk-led protests in 2007.
He was sentenced to 26 years in jail after the bloody crackdowns on the protests in 2007.
Bodaw U Khin Win, in his early 60s, had already been imprisoned twice for his political activities, when he got 23 years imprisonment for inciting protests in September 1999.
Ko Than Naing, a committed social worker in his mid 40s, was sentenced to 14 years for looking after HIV/AIDS patients, opposing the instructions from authorities.
Despite everything, Aung San Suu Kyi still expects to work with the new government.
[Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese Democracy Leader]:
"Of course I do, but as I often said we need to work in order to expect. We can't expect anything without working. We have to expect while working and to work while expecting."
Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest by Burmese authorities for 15 of the last 21 years. She was released back in November 2010.
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Burma has been ruled by a military junta for nearly 50 years. Authorities there have led a slew of crackdowns on democracy activitists or anyone who tries to challenge their power. But the country's foremost leader for democracy is continually challenging the power of the authorities... this time by rewarding activists currently detained.
Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi presents Unknown Heroes awards to relatives of three detained political dissidents on Sunday.
The recipients of the award are serving political prisoners, including a Buddhist monk.
Suu Kyi gave each of them the cash award of about $1,250 through their relatives and friends.
The award is the first of its kind, and the fund was donated by Burmese working in Japan.
An award committee selected the three recipients from over 2,000 prisoners of conscience.
Buddhist monk U Eindaga, who is in his mid 50s, played a leading role in the monk-led protests in 2007.
He was sentenced to 26 years in jail after the bloody crackdowns on the protests in 2007.
Bodaw U Khin Win, in his early 60s, had already been imprisoned twice for his political activities, when he got 23 years imprisonment for inciting protests in September 1999.
Ko Than Naing, a committed social worker in his mid 40s, was sentenced to 14 years for looking after HIV/AIDS patients, opposing the instructions from authorities.
Despite everything, Aung San Suu Kyi still expects to work with the new government.
[Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese Democracy Leader]:
"Of course I do, but as I often said we need to work in order to expect. We can't expect anything without working. We have to expect while working and to work while expecting."
Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest by Burmese authorities for 15 of the last 21 years. She was released back in November 2010.