On Martin Luther King Jr. Image Awa (r)

[desert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: Re: On Martin Luther King Jr. Image Award

In marketing this is known as SOS (Snake Oil Self-promoting) !

JS


> From notes@xxxxxxxxxxx Fri Mar  8 22:23 PST 1996
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> Subject: On Martin Luther King Jr. Image Award
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> From: TUN MYINT <tmyint@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: On Martin Luther King Jr. Image Award 
> 
> Dear Friends:
> 
> I just finished all my mid-terms and planning to spend my break with some
> more studies in HOPE. I am late but never forget to reply your messages of
> congratulations on Martin Luther King Jr. Image Award.  I was very busy
> with my studies and activities here at Indiana University at least to
> educate local community about Burma where real struggle for freedom and
> democracy is taking place. 
> 
> Thanks for your words to ALL who sent me congratulatory notes on Martin
> Luther King Jr. Image Award. I feel this award honors the whole Free Burma
> Movement that is brought up by the freedom thirsty spirits which exit in
> our hearts.  I am in heartfelt-share with all our fellow students on the
> borders and activists around the world who firmly stand for the truth,
> which we must and we will at least until the freedom, justice and human
> dignity are restored in our motherland.  It is our duty to carry the
> burden of changes in our country, the changes that will maintain peaceful
> life, freedom, justice and our dignity for humanity. Without peaceful
> life, freedom and justice, we will not be able to maintain our nation's
> dignity and our society along with international community.  This must be
> our goal and this goal is not only for people who support us but also more
> for those who oppose us. 
> 
> We must understand that this second revolution for Burma's true freedom
> has no clear line to separate the sides like who is the enemy as we did
> when our nation struggled for her independence from British colonial
> rules. We are not fighting against alien colonizers.  We are fighting
> against the betrayers of the Burmese people, those betrayers who at the
> same time destroy and degrade human value and its dignity.  We may need to
> educate those soldiers in Burmese Army who are carring "orders" of power
> hungry neo-Nazi SLORC's generals. 
> 
> Here, I would like to say to those of SLORC's generals and supporters. If
> you want to claim that you are not betraying the nation and its people. 
> You got to show it with deeds not words. You have to accept the offer to
> solve the country's burning problems in human manner, the offer that was
> made in Gandhi Hall Declaration on July 29, 1990 by the people's
> representatives.  You have moral duty to protect people's life.  You have
> to obey their demand.  This is what Boe Gyoke Aung San wanted to see the
> Burma Army to be. You neglect all of these and you kill unarmed people,
> you jail all oppositions, you rape powerless women, and you force lovely
> children to work for your survival.  You are creating comfort zone for
> yourselves with people's blood and their lives.  You are lucky that the
> patience is still alive in their hearts. 
> 
> The struggle that we are promoting is not only to restore the freedom,
> democracy and dignity of Burmese people in Burma but also to maintain the
> universal human dignity and human rights.  This is why Burmese lovers join
> us in hand and stand from the truth. With the plight of their supportive
> mind, our freedom movement have been shine in both inside and outside of
> Burma. 
> 
> They, SLORC, recently shook hand with international criminals and toasted
> a champagne glass, but refuse to shake hand with willful opposition which
> is asking them to start construction of the nation in peaceful and
> meaningful manners.  They also neglected the request that was made by 23
> Burma's independent heroes and forefather politicians. This is the clear 
> message that Burma Army is betraying the nation. It is not the army that
> Gen. Aung San wanted to see.  It is the army of Gen. Ne Win. It is
> protecting Gen. Ne Win's interest instead of the nation's interest. 
> 
> We must understand all of these.  We have duty to educate and rescue our
> brother soldiers in current "Burmese Army under SLORC" from wrongdoings,
> many of who originally joined the army to serve for national interest and
> to protect people's lives.  But now under SLORC, those of our brother 
> soldiers are carring out the orders which are issued by a handful of 
> SLORC's generals who aim to crack-down anyone whoever ask them to act on 
> behalf of the whole nation.  
> 
> They, SLORC, claim that they are not going to allow the country fall into
> foreigners' hand.  But current SLORC's economic policies are letting our
> country's citizens to become modern slaves of those foreign investment
> companies; SLORC"s policies are leading our country's young ladies to
> become semi-secretary prostitutes, letting our country's land fall into to
> the hands of those foreigners who come into Burma with full of lust to
> suck the blood of ordinary citizens by ignoring common-sense justice and
> humanity.  Every day, farmers are struggling to get a "chili and salt"
> meal while SLORC generals are toasting champagne and enjoying the parties
> with those foreign partners.  Workers are hopless for their ambition to
> construct the country to become a developing country while SLORC generals
> are hopeful of developing poverty.  Teachers are mourning for the lost of
> their beloved students and for the lost of hope for country's future.  
>  
> Please consider all of these realities and still firm with democracy and 
> human rights. Our fight will overcome one day.
> 
> With hopeful dream,
> 
> Tun Myint
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