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A Women of True Mettle (Korea Heral



Subject: A Women of True Mettle (Korea Herald)

Korea Herald, 1999 March 31 Editorial

A woman of true mettle-
	Devolopments surrounding the death of Michael Aris, the husband of the
Myanmar opposition leader and Nobel Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, in London
Saturday disturb many of us in South Korea who experienced similar human
rights abuses under our military goverments in the not so distant past.
     Aung San Suu Kyi has been under severe surveillance of the military
government of Myanmar ever since she returned home in 1988 to emerge as the
leader of the pro-democracy movement of her country. She led her party, the
National League for Democracy, to a sweeping victory in the 1990 elections
but has never been allowed to form a government. The authoritarian generals
in Yangon consider her their greatest threat and have jailed or held her
under virtual house arrest most of the time since she spearheaded the
pro-democracy movement.
     In 1995, shortly after her release from house arrest, the democracy
activist sent videotaped keynote address to the interantioal NGO forum on
women held in Beijing. In the address, she explained she could not be with
other delegates in person because she was imposed with the duty '' to work
for the freedom of women and men in my country who have suffered far more --
and who continue to suffer far more --than I have.''  She said that even
sending the message had not been ''without difficulties'' for her.
     Again, in what should have been one of the most crucial moments in her
life, she was not allowed to be with the one person who desperately needed
her by his side. Her husband, a British professor of Tibetan studies who
taught at Oxford University, died in hospital with his last wish unfulfilled
- to see his wife one last time. Before he died of prostate cancer which
spread to his spine and lungs. Aris had repeatedly asked for a visa to enter
Myanmar for a  final meeting with Suu Kyi.
     However, the government of Myanmar denied his petition and instead
tried to persuade Suu Kyi to leave the country to visit her husband. She
refused to leave the country because she didn't believe the military would
alow her to return. After all, the military has already arrested hundreds of
her followers in an obvious attempt to destroy her party. International
human rights groups and governments of various countries urged the Myanmar

government to grant Aris a visa on humanitarian grounds. But all in vain.
     Clearly, Suu Kyi, a charismatic political leader and daughter of
Myanmar's martyred independence hero, General Aung San, was caught in a
prickly dilemma: leaving the country to see her dying husband versus staying
with the people who needed her. She is said to have reminded anyone
suggesting that she go to Britain that many party members had died in prison
without being able to see their families.
    Sympathy for Suu Kyi following the death of her husband is reportedly
muted in Myanmar due to fear of the military government. State-run media
made no mention of Aris's death; most people who know the news heard the
announcement on foreign radio broadcasts. Suu Kyi arranged for a memorial
service Friday at her home in Yangon with her family monks. But her sons,
who are both in London, may not be able to attend the service.
     Circumstances surrounding Aris's death, as well as reports by human
rights groups on other cases of political oppression, attest to the gloomy
situation in the Southeast Asian country. We know that the mere presence of
Suu kyi in the country poses an obstacle for the junta's efforts to
exterminate her party. So they regarded Aris's illness as a perfect
opportunity to get her to leave the country on her own accord.
     But things didn't develop as the authoritarian rulers had expected. In
a statement issued shortly after she calmly received the news of her
husband's death, Suu Kyi said, ''I feel so fortunate to have had such a
wonderful husband who always gave me the undestanding I needed: Npthing can
take that away from me.''
     We admire the determination and courage that Aung San Suu kyi has
displayed at this challenging time. We urge the rulers of her country to
discard their shameful policy that disregards the most basic humantitarian
considerations for a private family affair.