You've been released from house arrest, but the government has not yet formally told the people that you are free and people are still literally afraid to mention your name. Are you sure that a real process of change is under way, or could your release be another government ruse to buy time for the regime?
Aung San Suu Kyi: "It's up to us to ensure that a process of change is kept up and consolidated. I don't think we can just go on speculating or hoping. We have to make it happen."
How?
"By working hard, which is what we have been doing all along. We try in various ways to move the process forward. There is never just one way in which to bring about change."
How do you go about lessening the level of fear which prevents the average Burmese citizen from acting on his political beliefs?
"I don't think there are any easy answers. If there were easy answers, we would have gotten where we want to go long ago. Again, we have to keep working hard in order to remind people that there are other things in life besides allowing oneself to be intimidated."
There seem to be many forces arrayed against the emergence of democracy in Burma - the huge amounts of money being made through the production of illegal drugs, the military strength of the ruling regime, and the Chinese, who are the regime's strongest supporters and seem to have a strong interest in thwarting democracy in the region. Have you, as leader of the democracy movement, had any contact with the Chinese?
"No, none at all."
Do they need to be brought in to the political process for progress to be made?
"Of course if every player desired change, we'd get there quicker."
Does the ongoing tension between Burma and Thailand over drugs, and the recent military skirmishes at the border, affect the democracy movement?
"It doesn't affect us directly, but it is worrying that we don't have good relations with our neighbors. We need to have good relations with all our neighbors."
Have you met the generals that are running the country? Have you started a dialogue with them? Do you have any impressions of what they are like?
"We haven't started a dialogue yet. I don't think I can say that I know them personally."
Are they capable, in your estimation, of having a change of heart that will lead to a breakthrough for Burma's political situation?
"Since, as I said, I don't know them personally, this is difficult for me to answer. A breakthrough is something we have to work toward. I don't think we can approach this on the grounds of whether or not they are going to have a change of heart. In order to create change, we have to come to an agreement with all parties concerned about the necessity of change. They have to agree that change is necessary. Then the change will come."
In the current circumstance, how have you been working on the ground, with the people?
"We have been trying to keep in contact with the general public. This is what democratic politics has always been about. Politicians should know what the public wants in order to represent it."
Have you been permitted to speak on the radio?
"No, but when I was traveling, I was able to speak to people."
Did you feel free to say what you wanted to say?
"Yes."
ABCs of democracy
Can you identify a country in the region that is a model for the kind of country you would like Burma to be?
"No. I think we will have to build our own model. I don't think we should look to another country for a model, because the situation in this country is different than in other countries."
There are different forms of democracy. What is your vision for Burma, especially in terms of its economy?
"We have always said that what we want to achieve is a democratic government, and that any model will have to be built on that. Economic development, again, would have to be in line with democratic institutions. Of course, there are different models of democracy, but in a genuine democracy, the basic institutions have to be there: an independent judiciary, regular elections. The people have to elect their own representatives. These are basic democratic practices. If they are not observed, you don't have a genuine democracy.
"I've been asked about visions a lot lately. Why are people interested in visions? I don't think you should think about politics in terms of visions. I think you should think about politics in terms of your political aspirations, and how you effectively propose to go about achieving them."
I think people are afraid that Burma, if it opens up, will turn into another Thailand, which seems to have had its native culture overwhelmed by the forces of globalization. "I don't think Burma can turn into another Thailand, or another Indonesia, because Burma is Burma. It has its own particular traits."
One of those traits is the strength of Buddhism. There are those that say that Buddhism, which teaches that one's lot in life is due to karma, helps make people passive politically. Is there another way to look at politics from a Buddhist perspective?
"Karma means deeds. So karma simply means, as you reap, so you shall sow. I think you have to decide what you want to sow if you've got an idea of what you want to reap, so I don't think karma means passivity. I think it means a tremendous level of responsibility. You create your own karma. You create the present that will determine your future. It is up to you what you make of the present, if you want to move along a certain path."
Do the hundreds of thousands of Buddhist monks present in Burma have a political role to play?
"I don't know whether I can say if the monks will have a political role to play. They certainly have a great influence on the people of Burma. And this could spread to many areas."
What is at stake for the world in the resolution of Burma's political situation? Why does it matter to the world?
"It matters because Burma is part of the world. I don't think we should have to say why a country is important. I think we just have to assume that it is important intrinsically."
Because what is at stake is the freedom of 60 million human beings?
"Not just freedom. Security. Progress. It's ensuring that the people here keep their human dignity intact. I don't think we should just think of it in terms of what Burma has to offer - tremendous reserves of oil, say - and [say] therefore Burma should be helped. Or if it doesn't have anything the world can use, so we don't need to help her. We shouldn't look at it like that."
I really meant to ask what is at stake spiritually for the world.
"I don't think any country has more of a worthy spirit than another. We, of course, think our own particular spirit is unique. Every people thinks their own particular spirit is unique. And we certainly think that we have contributions to make to the rest of the world, spiritually. But so do other countries. I don't think Burma is capable of making greater contributions than other countries."
If the dialogue you hope for with the regime does not happen, will there be a moment when people take to the streets again, like in August 1988?
"That is difficult to say. It is never easy to pinpoint exactly what makes people decide that they have had enough. I hope this is not the way that change will be brought about. I would not like people to have to take to the streets in order to bring about change. I would like to bring about change by having all people who are in a position to bring about change recognize the need for change. Of course, anything is possible. You can't rule out anything. You can't predict the future."
Are you willing to compromise in your dialogue with the regime?
"Dialogue always entails compromise. I don't think you can go into dialogue saying `I can't compromise.' You had better not start that way, because the dialogue won't get anywhere. There has to be give and take."
What are you willing to compromise?
"I'm not going to talk about it. It's very premature. People keep asking me: `What are you going to say when you get to the negotiating table?' I find it amazing. How can I talk about it? How can I tell everyone ahead of time what I am going to say?"
Cautiously optimistic
Some Burmese would find it very hard to give up on the idea that those that have done evil in the name of the regime will go unpunished. What do you think?
"I don't think we should get involved with retribution and vengeance. I don't think it will do our country any good, because what we need is reconciliation and progress toward a situation in which we can all participate together for the good of the future."
Are you optimistic about the future?
"I've always been a cautious optimist, and people ask me and I say that I don't think that you have a right to hope unless you are working for something. Those who are not trying their best for something to come about have no right to hope. Unless you struggle, you have no right to hope - that is my feeling. We have always worked very hard so we have gained the right to hope. And I do have hope."
Is the international community giving you the help you need right now?
"We are getting a lot of help from the international community right now. The UN Special Envoy, Mr. Razali [Ismail], just visited, and he made a very optimistic statement that we will see change very soon. So we shall see."
Will pressure from the international community alone be enough to bring about change?
"I don't think anything can do it alone. It has to be a cooperative effort on the part of the international community and the people of Burma. It's our country that we want to change, so we have to do it for ourselves. We have to recognize that."
There are some reports that Israeli experts may have lent their knowledge to the Burmese military intelligence. Have you heard that?
"I know nothing about it. You should know more about it than me. Anyway, I have had no contact with the Israelis."
Do you have contact with other embassies?
"Yes. But I have had no contact with the Israeli Embassy."
Would you welcome contact with that embassy?
"We would welcome contact with everybody."
Have you given any thought to our conflict with the Palestinians?
"I think it is terribly, terribly tragic. Terribly, terribly sad. Why do people hate each other so much?"
This conflict is not necessarily all motivated by hate. Many Israelis think about it in terms of survival. "Perhaps the Palestinians think about it as survival, too."
Yes. Although I think that if the Palestinians were to adapt a strategy of nonviolent protest, they could achieve a lot more than with the tactics they've adapted until now. "Well, we are committed to nonviolence, even if our struggle takes much longer because of it."