A Sad Day

Aung San Suu Kyi

democratically elected leader of Burma
now in her 13th year under house arrest
today is her 13th year anniversary

Burma used to be the largest supplier of rice in the world; now its citizens are starving and all the profits from agriculture are spent on buying arms from China. It's one of the poorest countries in the world and rates #2 as most corrupt (Somalia wins the #1 spot.)

In my previous life as a store owner that sold artifacts from SE Asia I was lucky enough to learn more about the situation in Burma (Myanmar as the military junta have renamed it) and to travel there. It stole my heart away... This country is in desperate need of our help, but because there is no oil there and because China has great influence in Burma the West has sat by and done little (economic sanctions aside, the West's response has been tepid at best and has met with no success at all).

To commemorate Aung San Suu Kyi's 13th year under house arrest I felt it was important that we take a moment and acknowledge this great woman's sacrafice for peace and justice in her country and in the world.

Here is a wonderful editorial about her, and if you would like to learn more about the situation in Burma please check out this wonderful organization.

I encourage each and everyone of you to take a moment to sign this petition encouraging Ban Kyi Moon, the UN General Secretary, to visit Burma by year's end and to force the military junta to release Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winning, democratically elected leader of the Burmese people, from house arrest.

Thanks for your help and I promise tomorrow it will be back to Corn Bread Recipes.