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Nation: Suu Kyi urges women to help



Subject: Nation: Suu Kyi urges women to help usher in democracy


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Suu Kyi urges women to help usher in democracy
BURMA'S democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has urged Burmese women of all
ethnic
groups to help bring democracy and human rights to the strife-torn Southeast
Asian country. 
Citing psychological records that women are better able to cope than men in
crisis situations, the 1991 Nobel Peace laureate called on the nation's women
to assert themselves to bring peace and progress to Burma. She also wanted a
better future for poor people the world over. 
''There is a great need for our women of Burma to use their capabilities to
bring democracy and human rights to our country,'' she said in a statement
released yesterday to mark Women's Day in Burma, which is also her birthday. 
Suu Kyi, who turned 54 yesterday, held a small, private religious ceremony for
close friends and well-wishers, many of them women, in Rangoon. Meanwhile in
Bangkok the Burmese community in exile joined hands with human-rights
activists
in organising a small gathering to honour her and Burmese women. Similar
ceremonies were arranged in several Asian and European countries. 
In another brief message Suu Kyi praised her female compatriots for their
bravery, sacrifices and courage to withstand various forms of official
intimidation against her and her family. 
''Though the authorities have applied pressure on you and your families
through
intimidation, bribery and other ways, you have stood tall and brave, striving
to obtain democracy to fulfil the will of the people. This is doubly
encouraging,'' she said. 
''With a sense of gratitude, I salute and honour all women who have been
imprisoned for their political beliefs, the wives and families of political
prisoners and other women who are gallantly and unselfishly shouldering the
tasks that have devolved to them as members of the National League for
Democracy,'' she added. 
Although the NLD general-secretary did not mention her own role, exiled
Burmese
across the globe have issued messages praising her for her unwavering
determination and personal sacrifice, which have included six years of house
arrest, long separation from her family and an unfulfilled wish to be reunited
with her dying husband. 
In India many women activists consider her a role model for women in Asia and
proposed that June 19 be celebrated as Asian Women's Day. 
''She is one of the few women leaders who have lived up to Mahatma Gandhi's

vision that 'in the war against war, women of the world will and should
lead',
and made the Mahatma's dream come true that women's entry into politics would
act as a cleansing and humanising force,'' said Madhu Kishwar, a well-known
Indian woman activist and editor of the Manushi journal. 
The proposal to adopt Suu Kyi's birthday as Asian Women's Day was formally
discussed at a public meeting yesterday at the India International Centre in
Delhi. 
In her statement Suu Kyi pointed out the crucial role of Burmese women in
helping bring about political change, saying that in Burma housewives can no
longer keep out of politics because ''it has invaded the traditional domain of
housewives''. 
''The root cause of spiralling commodity prices, greatly increased electricity
charges and rising costs of education and health care is a political one,''
she
said. 
She urged women of all ethnic nationalities to help build ''understanding and
unity between the different ethnic groups'' and called on the international
aid
agencies to assist women of various ethnic groups who have been driven by
political and economic hardship and live as refugees in Burma's neighbouring
countries. 
''Let me also send a message of support to our refugee sisters who await a
future when they can return to their own land. We are working hard that you
may
be able to come back soon to a Burma that would be a refuge for all our ethnic
nationalities. Please do not lose heart,'' she stated. 
Suu Kyi, the daughter of Burma's independence hero Aung San, said she believed
that with perseverance and commitment, democracy and human rights would
prevail. ''Let us all walk forward together with firm hearts and minds to
build
a peaceful, prosperous union. I send my warm greetings and love to the
women of
Burma,'' she concluded. 
BY YINDEE LERTCHAROENCHOK 
The Nation