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"Burmese activists vow to intensify struggle"

By Our Correspondent

New Delhi, June 19: Pro-democracy Burmese activists celebrated the 53rd
birthday of Nobel laureate and leader of pro-democracy party Aung San
Suu Kyi as Women's Day on Friday in the city. They vowed to carry on the
struggle against the Burmese junta.
 "My message to all the women of Burma is to maintain solidarity,
because when human rights are violated in any society, it is women and
children who suffer most," said Ms Aung San Suu Kyi in a recorded
message, a video clipping of which was shown to the activists who had
gathered on the occasion.
 Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won the democratically
conducted elections in 1990 but the military junta has not recognized
the results.
 Speaking on the occasion, CPI leader Geeta Mukherjee extended her
heartfelt greetings to Ms Suu Kyi.
 Expressing her solidarity with the struggle of the Burmese people, she
proposed that a delegation should accompany her when the Parliament
begins in the next session.
 "I invite some of you to put your thoughts before both houses of the
Parliament. And both inside and outside the Parliament," she added.
Veteran freedom fighter and Ganddhian Nirmala Deshpande, who was also
present at the function organized by the Women Rights and Welfare
Association of Burma said that Ms Suu Kyi is a "symbol of non-violence".
"Her commitment to non-violence give strength to all those soldiers
around the world fighting against injustices," she said while conveying
her birthday greetings to Ms Suu Kyi.
 After Gandhi, it is the Dalai Lama who has been leading Tibetans on the
part of non-violence, said Ms Deshpande. "This commitment is encouraging
for people who believed in non-violence." "Non-violence doesn't know
defeat. The beauty of non-violence is that when you show non-violence to
a violence person. He becomes a friend," said the Veteran freedom
fighter citing the example of Lord Mountbadden (cousin to the English
king) to cooperated in the freedom movement of India. "There are no
winners and losers because it is a fight for justice." Ms Vimla Vohra of
All India Women's Conference assured all possible help to the activists.
"It is not easy to be non-violence but when we are left with no choice,
we have to be non-violence," she said in a comment on the plight of the
people especially the women in Burma. Ms Dolma Gyari, a member of the
Tibetan Government-in-exile while offering "active mutual support" to
the Burmese activists warned of "frustration among the youth in the
absence of a rapid solution to the problem." Ms Gyari appealed to the
Indian government for their realistic support to the cause of the
Tibetan.
 "Suu Kyi is not a woman of great courage but also has great
determination. Of what I have read of her writings, there is not a trace
of bitterness of anger. She strikes one as a human person with a humane
vision," said Manushi editor of Miss Madhu Kishwar. "But non-violence
does not always win," said Ms Kishwar. "Gandhiji lost many an important
battle. The thing to remember is that even if we lose political battles,
non-violence still succeeds in setting new civilisational norms.

"THE ASIAN AGE"
Date June 20, 1998.