Today is the 63rd birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma.Today is the 4,165th day of her detention by the criminals who enslave her nation.  "The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear." "The people of Burma are like prisoners in their own country, deprived of all freedom under military rule."

"The struggle for democracy and human rights in Burma is a struggle for life and dignity." "We will prevail because our cause is right, because our cause is just. ...History is on our side. Time is on our side."   "Please use your liberty to promote ours." Millions of prayers are with you.

she is a strong woman and real hero.....

a demmi godess in my view ,incredible she is still alive,may she have many more birthdays and freedom sooner rather than later

Thailand needs our own hero as well... shameless Thai governer !!

Great tribute.

thanks Robert she is an amazing woman !!!

This is all a bit weird really.

It is easy to state the obvious in indignant and sanctimonious tones about the situation in Burma and in particular the great symbolic role played by Aung in this never ending drama and tragedy. It is indeed so sad to see such a noble person treated this way and then to imagine how truly awful this regime is?

The word heartbreaking comes to mind,yet for all our periodic focus and expressions of outrage we seem either helpless or unwilling to actually do anything about it. What is the solution? How can this happen in 2008? How can this have gone on for so long?

Writing all sorts of pious words is all too easy as compared to actual real solutions. Does anyone have any? I agree with the sentiments and expressions of disgust and outrage but can only add my deep frustrations that things have not only got better but seem to have got even worse.

As regards the recent disgrace about aid after the storms/cyclone well a part of me says that the likes of France USA and the UK could have "imposed" this aid by simply exercising their capabilities. By this I mean the strong powers could have had made a firm choice on principle that they would come to the aid of the people on the ground on humanitarian grounds, Then having made such a choice IN PRINCIPLE they could have discreetly but firmly told the powers in Burma that as a matter of fact and urgency they would be undertaking a major emergency operation to provide aid and that if the Junta in anyway got in the way they would be "taken out" by the western powers - regardless of the fallout!

As the Junta is only concerned with keeping themselves and their cronies ion power I would be willing to bet that they would have complied and allowed things to happen in such a way as for their people to get the aid they needed. The political will of the west is often too weak and as a result all manner of injustices are allowed to fester and continue when in some cases they could actually be stopped.

Perhaps it seems to paradoxical to use the sheer might and power of the west to make such timely interventions and I agree there are many problems with such an attitude to begin with, however when facing the sorts of thugs and uncivilized scum as the Junta in Burma perhaps it is worth parking such reservations from time to time for the greater good?

Park a few US air craft carriers off shore and see how quickly things might get done. Of course there is so much mindless anti Americanism in the world now that nothing the USA does would be ever good enough. So that leads me back to the original point I made.

Yeah its tragic and we all agree pretty much on that but leaving aside my radical outburst [which I suggest from emotion rather than intellect] what are we ever to do? I am frankly fed up and sometimes depressed at the sheer injustice of it all and wish for the day when at least we can see some sort of progress?

Great post and pictures of a real life hero!

Good journal, laudable initiative

"laudable initiative"

Please explain? Are we not many years beyond the point words having any value or meaning now?

Thanks for this, Robert !

D+J