Suu Kyi calls for dialogue with Myanmar government
Newly free, her wish is for a “non-violent revolution” in Burma
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Nobel Peace Prize winner and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was freed after years of house arrest on Saturday, and by Monday, was already calling for a “non-violent revolution” in Burma. From the headquarters of her National League for Democracy (NLD), the 65-year-old said she was sure democracy would eventually come to Burma, though she was unsure of the timeline. She added that she would relish the opportunity for dialogue with the ruling military junta, which she would rather see change than fail. “I don’t want to see the military falling. I want to see the military rising to dignified heights of professionalism and true patriotism,” she said. “I think it’s quite obvious what the people want; the people just want better lives based on security and on freedom.” Her new freedom (she has spent 15 of the past 21 years under house arrest) follows a controversial election last week that cemented the junta’s decades-long grip on power, but was widely criticized by democracy activists and Western leaders as a sham.