The leader of the most abused democracy movement in the region has marked her fifth cycle birthday, but she has not celebrated.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the symbol of hope far beyond the borders of her native Burma, turned 60 on the weekend. She was physically lonely but her remarkable spirit was noted around the world by hundreds of thousands. They gathered to protest as peacefully as her two decades of civil resistance against one of the world's most barbarous dictatorships. Now reviled even by their oldest friends and supporters abroad, the Burmese generals who have survived their own purges tried to continue their business as usual, honouring the world's worst drug traf-fickers while beating, torturing and imprisoning citizens foolish enough to ask for the political reform and government accountability known as democracy.
Mrs Suu Kyi is in her third year of her fourth extended house arrest without charges, legal counsel or outside contact. She has been in direct conflict with military dictators since 1986. She has withstood house arrest and the beatings and imprisonment of most of her close friends and political supporters. The generals have threatened, bribed, publicly insulted, privately humiliated, shot at, cut off from her family, made racist remarks about Mrs Suu Kyi, and locked her up in her own home and elsewhere. She has spent the majority of the past 20 years in detention, but never has been charged with a crime.
She has won such great admiration and respect that the mean old men who once spoke up for the Burmese dictators have turned against them. Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad now calls on the junta to release Mrs Suu Kyi. His former deputy Anwar Ibrahim _ himself a victim of political frame-up _ accused his government and Asean of ``pussyfooting,'' treating the generals with respect they do not deserve. Singapore, whose government corporations were once cosy with Burmese financiers, says it is time for Burma to step aside from any hope of leading Asean. Indonesia, whose military dictatorship was once the model for the Rangoon autocrats, has meanwhile become a democracy, outspoken against Rangoon.
Some of the weekend protesters gathered in Bangkok to mark Mrs Suu Kyi's birthday, and call for democratic reform in Burma.
Most people are unable to explain the Thai government's support for the Rangoon junta. Indeed, no other government has spoken kindly about Burma this year except for the Thai government. Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon remarked last week he feels Mrs Suu Kyi will be released before Burma holds an election.
Of course, Mr Kantathi is unable to say when that might be, because the Burmese generals have lied for so long there is no one left who believes their claims they will soon institute political reform.
An honest election in 1990 elected a pro-democracy legislature, but the generals ignored the results and jailed all the winners, frequently after beating and torturing them. Mrs Suu Kyi was imprisoned during that election. Every few months in the 15 years since then, the junta has claimed talks on democratic reforms will begin soon.
The generals have also claimed to have solved the drug trafficking problem that has caused huge economic and social problems to their neighbours. Their solution was to honour rich drug dealers, award them protection from the law, and allow them to upgrade drug-making factories in northern Burma to produce designer drugs to increase export profits. The junta has promised to discuss the hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants working in foreign countries, open talks with ethnic groups and participate in civilised affairs of Asean. Unfortunately, all these claims have failed to pan out.
The Burmese regime deserves much harsher criticism than it receives. Its fear is palpable of a 60-year-old woman who has brought honour to Burma by winning the Nobel Peace Prize. As ``velvet revolution'' leader Vaclav Havel said last week, the only thing that has changed in Burma is that the number of political prisoners has multiplied and the human rights abuses have multiplied.
The United Nations, the Asean leaders _ apart from Thailand _ and supporters of democracy around the world hope to celebrate Mrs Suu Kyi's 61st birthday in a free Burma, and let the fate of the fallen generals take its course.