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March 17, 2006

Burmese Former Political Prisoner Bo Kyi Speaks Before The Fletcher School

What are the struggles of a political activist against one of the most atrocious military regimes in modern history?

Burmese former political prisoner and student leader Bo Kyi shared his experiences as a political detainee under Burma's military government and his life in exile as a refugee with students of The Fletcher School on March 15.

According to Bo Kyi, he was first arrested by the military for organizing a student movement promoting democracy against the ruling government.

“In Burma, we have no freedoms. Student and worker organizations are illegal. All we wanted was legal rule in our country. We wanted government to recognize that our student movement was legitimate, but the response we got were guns and bullets,” he said.

Bo Kyi recounted how he witnessed several of his colleagues being shot by the soldiers during one rally which turned violent. While he was fortunate to have left the rally unscathed, he was eventually arrested by the military and sent to prison by a court martial after he refused to acknowledge that he had committed a crime by rallying against the government.

“The military is systematically degrading the human dignity of all political prisoners. In my case, as a student, they were trying to kill me intellectually—through forced isolation, torture, hard labor, not giving me food or water, forcing me to stand for long hours—and threatening me that should I be released, I will be dull and useless. They offered to release me if I agree to quit the movement and reveal the names of my fellow demonstrators, which I did not agree to do,” said Bo Kyi. He ended up spending three years in prison during his first incarceration.

Fletcher students were amazed to hear about how Bo Kyi learned to speak and write the English language.

“During the first time that I was imprisoned, the prisoner in the cell next to mine was a university professor who taught English. I would listen to him talk and write down the English words on the concrete wall and floor. After three years in prison, I could speak and write English fairly well,” he said.

Upon his release after three years, Bo Kyi said he found it difficult to find work in private companiesas the latter because they were warned by the military not to hire activists. Neither could he find a job as a schoolteacher as the military did not want him near students for fear that he might incite further dissent against the ruling junta.

“They wanted me to sign a statement that I had been well-treated in prison so that they could show it to the international community. I replied that I would only sign on the condition that they release Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners,” Bo Kyi said, adding that as a result of his refusal, he was imprisoned for another five years.

Bo Kyi said he has been working at promoting global awareness of the situation of some 1,100 political prisoners in Burma and advocating support for Burma's democracy movement, particularly from the U.S. government. He emphasized that it was urgent for the international community to address the ongoing civil war and human rights violations in Burma.

“The military junta is continuing to commit atrocities such as violence and rape against the population. Because of the fighting, the number of refugees continues to grow. Children also lack education and proper health care. If they are not helped, they may end up working for the major drug trafficking groups,” he said.

As of 2004, between 600,000 to one million people belonging to the ethnic Karen, Karenni, Shan and Mon groups have been displaced as a result of government offensives against insurgent groups along the country borders. Burma also remains as one of the world's major producers of illicit opium because of government's inability to take on the big narcotic-trafficking groups.

Bo Kyi said it was critical to harness support from the U.S. legislature for the renewal of the Burma Democracy and Freedom Act of 1995, which provides for the imposition of economic sanctions by the U.S. government and placement of an arms embargo against Burma, and calls on friendly countries to do the same. The Act also provides that the U.S. government actively supports the transition from a military dictatorship to a democratic regime in Burma.

Amanda Sim, a first year MALD student, inquired whether international sanctions may be focused directly on the ruling military regime so that its economic effects will not be felt by the Burmese people.

Bo Kyi replied that areas which have a direct impact on people, such as health, telecommunications and media, have been exempted from the sanctions “so that the local population will not be hurt by them.” Despite this, he said, the international community must look at other measures to resolve the situation in Burma than just imposing economic sanctions.

“If we don't address the Burmese problem now, then it will eventually be an international problem,” he said.

By Sharon R. Rivera, MALD '07

Posted by jessica at March 17, 2006 01:14 PM