“South
Africa is now a democracy. We can make Burma the next South
Africa. If such a coalition could be mustered for Suu Kyi,
the result could be as glorious. Burma would have a leader
whose commitment to her people is unwavering. Asia and the
world would have one of those rare leaders whose integrity
and vision is already proven by her courage and sacrifice.”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 1984 Nobel Peace Prize
Laureate |
|
“By
dedicating her life to the fight for human rights and democracy
in Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi is not only speaking out for justice
in her own country, but also for all those who want to be
free to choose their own destiny. As long as the struggle
for freedom needs to be fought throughout the world, voices
such as Aung San Suu Kyi’s will summon others to the
cause. […] Aung San Suu Kyi cannot be silenced
be cause she speaks the truth and because her words reflect
basic Burmese and universal concepts.” - Vaclav
Havel, Former Czech President |
|
“Aung
San Suu Kyi’s significance and value to regional security
cannot be underestimated. She commands the respect and loyalty
of diverse sections of Burmese society, including military
officers. Her capacity as a conciliator and unifier presents
the greatest hope for stability in Burma.” - Kobsak
Chutikul, former Thai diplomat & MP |
|
“Your
message of non-violence and courageous support for the establishment
of democracy in Burma in the face of the junta’s brutal
repression and your continuing house arrest inspires people
around the world.” - Condoleezza Rice,
Former US Secretary of State |
|
“Suu
Kyi's struggle is one of the most extraordinary examples of
civil courage in Asia in recent decades.” - Ole
Mjoes, Nobel Committee’s Chairman |
|
“Her
[Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s] continued arrest by Burma’s
military junta is an outrage, her courage in the face of terror
and intimidation serves as an inspiration to those throughout
the world who cherish freedom and democracy.” -
Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia |
|
“Her
arrest is an affront to all those who believe in liberty,
in democracy, in human rights and in the sovereign right of
citizens to choose their own destiny.” - Ricardo
Lagos, President of Chile; Thabo Mbeki, President of South
Africa; Goran Persson, Prime Minister of Sweden; Helen Clark,
Prime Minister of New Zealand |
|
“We
are writing this public letter to call for the immediate release
of the world’s only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Aung San Suu Kyi. […]Aung San Suu Kyi is not calling
for revolution in Burma, but rather peaceful, nonviolent dialogue
between the military, National League for Democracy, and Burma’s
ethnic groups.” – Letter from 59
Former Heads of State, including Marí Bin Amude Alkatiri,
Former Prime Minister of East Timor; Corazon Aquino, Former
President of the Philippines; Benazir Bhutto, Former Prime
Minister of Pakistan; Chuan Leekpai, Former Prime Minister
of Thailand; Kim Dae-jung, Former President of South Korea;
Junichiro Koizumi, Former Prime Minister of Japan; Lee Hong-Koo,
Former Prime Minister of South Korea; Mahathir Mohamed, Former
Prime Minister of Malaysia; Megawati Sukarnoputri; Fidel Ramos,
Former President of the Philippines; Chandra Shekhar, Former
Prime Minister of India; Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Former Prime
Minister of India; Ung Huot, Former Prime Minister of Cambodia;
Abdurrahman Wahid, Former President of Indonesia |
|
“We
are appalled that you receive treatment so unmerited and cannot
understand why, in the face of your repression, so much of
the world has remained silent.” - Jody
Williams, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate |
|
“Any
person in any country who believes in the power of good, anyone
who believes in justice, will stand by Aung San Suu Kyi. Because
Aung San Suu Kyi is one of the non-violent, compassionate
leaders of our time.” - José Ramos-Horta,
East Timor’s President and 1996 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate |
|
“As
a tireless champion of human rights and democracy in Burma,
Suu Kyi inspires countless people around the world who strive
for peace, justice and freedom. In the face of great hardship
she has never wavered in her commitment to peaceful change.”
- George W. Bush, Former US President |
|
“And
let me say this morning that when the Burmese government tries
to blame the victims for the crime, and say that Aung San
Suu Kyi and her party are responsible for their own repression,
I can only reply that much the same was once said about Gandhi
and Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Vaclav Havel. The
world is not fooled. And we must not be silent.”
- Madeleine Albright, Former US Secretary of State |
|
“They
can never kill her mind, even if she’s put in a very,
very, difficult position in detention […]. They can
never kill her spirit, her sense of principles or her sense
of freedom.” - Xanana Gusmao, East Timor’s
Prime Minister |
|
“[...]
Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been kept under house arrest in
Burma for most of the past two decades, but continues to be
a beacon of hope and strength to people around the world.
Her example has been especially important to other women in
Burma who have been imprisoned for their political beliefs,
driven into exile, or subjected to sexual violence by the
military.” - Hillary Clinton, US Secretary
of State |
|
“You
have dedicated the whole of your life to the cause of democracy
and freedom in Burma. You have selflessly highlighted the
wider suffering of the Burmese people rather than dwelling
on your own pain. And through that courage you have gained
the respect of the entire international community not just
for a person, but for a cause.” - Gordon
Brown, UK Prime Minister |
|
“Her
determination, courage and personal sacrifice in working for
human rights and democratic change in Burma inspire all of
us who stand for freedom and justice.” - Barack
Obama, US President |
|
“Aung
San Suu Kyi is a global symbol of moral courage in the face
of repression.” - Jimmy Carter, former
US President |
|
“Aung
San Suu Kyi’s personal courage provides inspiration
and hope for the Tibetan people along with many other dispossessed
and oppressed peoples.” - His Holiness
the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet |
|
“You
are, for me, what courage is and I will fight for you to be
free and your people [to be] free.” - Gordon
Brown, former UK Prime Minister |
|
“Throughout
that time, you have stood firm, at enormous personal cost,
for the principles of liberty and justice. You have become
a powerful symbol of the strength of the human spirit. Like
my predecessor, I personally have long found your example
deeply inspiring.” - David Cameron, UK
Prime Minister |
|
“Aung
San Suu Kyi’s continued detention is an outrage. She
has spent 14 of the last 20 years under house arrest. Her
example is deeply inspiring. All of us like to think we give
up something to go into democracy and politics. We don’t.
Compared with these people we do nothing.” - David
Cameron, UK Prime Minister |
|
“For
me, Honorary Elder, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is the living symbol
of the Burmese people’s hope and courage. She is the
embodiment of their determination to live in freedom, health
and prosperity.” - Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
1984 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate |
|
“She
is a global symbol of moral courage and we wish her strength
and health as she makes her own transition from such a long
period under house arrest.” - Archbishop
Desmond Tutu, 1984 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate |
|
“Your
heroic determination and devotion to freedom and to your people
say more about the soul of the Burmese people than all the
rhetoric of the regime that tried to keep you silent.”
- Natan Sharansky, Israeli politician and human rights
activist |
|
“Aung
San Suu Kyi is an inspiration and a personal hero to many
across the world. […] Her commitment to bringing
real democracy and national reconciliation to Burma is a beacon
of hope for the future.” - Andrew Mitchell,
UK Secretary of State for International Development |
|
| “She's my hero.”
- Bono, U2 lead singer |