An article on CSB president in the "Cortland Standard" 12/11/98

Text from the article (typos were left in):

By ANGELA LEDDY
Staff Reporter

GROTON — The message of a man sentenced to death in Burma is that the road to democracy is paved with blood.

The dissident who now lives in Ithaca, spoke to 200 ninth and tenth grade students here on Thursday.

Htun Anug Gyaw, 44, was sentenced to death in absentia by the country's military government for leading the resistance movement in his homeland.

Htun applied, in 1992 for refugee status in the United States after he managed to escape to Thailand. Since coming to the United States, Htun has continued to lead the resistance movement, known as the Civil Society for Burma, via the Internet.

In 1962, the military gained control of the country following a long civil war. Since that time, world organizations, including Amnesty International and the United Nations, have spoken out against the regime's human rights abuses. The United States imposed trade sanctions in response to the country's human rights policies.

Burma's leader, Gen. Than Shwe, simply ignored a landslide vote in 1990 which should have ousted him from power and installed a democratic government.

Ten thousand Burmese, mostly students, organized themselves and chose Htun as their resistance leader in 1989. This following a military attack on unarmed civilian protesters that saw 3,000 Burmese killed. Htun was a self employed car dealer in business with his father when he became involved in the movement.

"When they came to arrest me the military people said, 'Why are you involved in the resistance? You have money, why do you care?'" Htun explained. "But I told them that freedom is more important than money."

"In the last decade, there has been an influential pro-democracy moment in Burma," explained Dr. Luo Xu, professor of East Asian history at SUNY Cortland. "The people who live there blame the government for them being the poorest country in Southeast Asia."

Aung San Suu Kyiu is the women leading the resistance movement inside Burma and struggles to keep the hope for a democratic government alive. Htun hopes to see Kyi elected president soon.

"It is tragic, really," Htun said. "She won the (Nobel) peace prize in 1991, but couldn't leave the country to accept it. If she left they would not let her back into the country. She must stay to lead the people."

Although, Kyiu continues to live in Burma, she does so under house arrest. Htun, too, lived under house arrest for six years. In 1976, Htun's friend and fellow activist was hanged for leading a student protest, Htun himself spent five years in prison, from 1975-1980.

According to a statement issued by the Embassy of Myanmar in Washington, "the overwhelming majority of the people in Myanmar, as elsewhere in Third World countries are not obsessed with politics." Mynamar is the name used by the government, but the country is still commonly known as Burma, even by its residents.

The embassy refused to address specific cases of humans rights abuses and claimed they did not know why Htun was sentenced to death. But in the government's general statement addressing human rights abuses, it is clear that Htun's attempts to further human rights have clashed with the government.

The government defines its priority to be providing security to the citizens of Mynamar rather than individual human rights. The Myanmar government defines human rights as the right to enjoy "basic human requirements such as security, food and shelter." They also stated that it has no intention of introducing "excessive political rights."

Groton school librarian Gail Barraco worked with ninth grade global studies teacher Kathy Spalone in arranging for Htun to speak to students on National Human Rights Day.

"It's part of the global curriculum," Barroco said. "In this country, we so often take our individual rights for granted. It's good for students to hear what conditions are like in other countries."

High school Principal Terry Dougherty agrees that students need to have a greater global awareness concerning human rights.

"Kids need to be offered a greater sense of involvement in the global community," Dougherty said. "The times we live in are concerned with a global market economy. And since we are members in a large world community, we must address human rights issues."

Htun hopes to return to Burma once a democratic government is instituted. Until then, he will stay in Ithaca with his wife, Swe Swe Myint and his children, continuing to lead his followers in Burma over the Internet Although Htun said he is followed by Burmese government officials when visiting Washington, overall he feels safe in America.

"They (the Burmese government) cannot do anything to me here, and if they do, I don't care," he said. "I must do whatever it takes. It is just that important."