‘All those born in Burma are welcome back’

VIKAS PURI, NEW DELHI. Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi addressed an august gathering of more than 500 Burmese political refugees and over 50 NRIs from Burma at a function organized by them at Oxford International School in Vikas Puri.
She chose to speak in Burmese as most of the attendees were from Burma and are comfortable in their language.
Beside paying tribute to several supporters during her years in prison she thanked all those who stood by her and the people of Burma. She told all Burmese students not to lose their resolve and continue working for strengthening democracy in Burma.
While answering a few questions, she said “Anybody who is born in Burma, you are all children of Burma and are welcome to your motherland anytime. You are like a family.” She further said, “We are working to evolve a constructive system for their return.” She requested her supporters to keep a close watch on the developments in Burma and not to lose hope.
Suu Kyi said that sometimes the majority has to look at things through a minority’s eyes “When I came to India, I felt that I was coming to a friendly country with a long tradition,’ she said. “All the [Burmese] people living in India are like our family members: brothers, nephews, nieces and children. So I want you to look on [them] as family members. I want to say solemnly that our country is a ‘union.’ ”
She said that the Burmese living in India nowadays are from various ethnic origins. “The majority [Bamar or Burman] became a minority in India,” she said. “I think that is very good. Sometimes, a majority needs to look at things through a minority’s eyes.”
Some Burmese residing near the Indo-Burmese border traveled more than 2,000 miles to hear Suu Kyi speak.
“I want our country to be a secure union where all people can live peacefully,” she said. “But we all need to make an effort to build that kind of union. Different ethnic groups have different cultures, different hopes, different languages and different religions. Despite these differences, we need to bring about unity.
“To bring about unity we need to have mutual understanding and mutual respect. To achieve that, one has to listen to what another person says. A person should not highlight only the things he wants. One must listen to voices from both sides.
“We entered into the pro-democracy movement in attempt to achieve national reconciliation,” she continued. “To achieve reconciliation and to get mutual understanding, we should not have one-sided views. We need to consider the opinions of both sides and the situation of the entire Union.
The Oxford Senior Secondary School where Suu Kyi spoke accepts Burmese children; many of whom are able to attend the school free of charge. The school is situated in the Vikas Puri Quarter where many Burmese people live.

Krishan Sharma
India Post News Service