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Parliament says happy birthday to Burma’s democracy warrior
Greens Senator Scott Ludlam, Janelle Saffin and Labor MP Melissa Parke with the cake and card to mark the 64th birthday of jailed Burmese political leader and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Page MP Janelle Saffin organised a birthday cake and a card for Burma’s imprisoned democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in parliament last week.
Ms Page also managed to get all members of parliament to support a private members motion that she put forward.
“It was talking about the values we hold dear like democracy and freedom and that she (Aung San Suu Kyi), along with 2000 other political prisoners in Burma, should be released,” Ms Saffin said.
Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for 13 years for campaigning for human rights and democracy in Burma. On May 14 this year she was arrested and put in the notorious Insein prison for breaking the conditions of her house arrest when an American man swam across Inya Lake and refused to leave her house.
“It appears to be an excuse to keep her in jail because her house arrest period was due to expire on May 27,” Ms Saffin said.
As the head of the National League for Democracy (NLD), Aung San Suu Kyi won an overwhelming majority in the 1990 general election but the result was never recognised by the military regime and she has been in and out of house arrest ever since.
Suu Kyi is a Nobel Peace laureate who was admitted as a Companion to the Order of Australia in 1997.
Ms Saffin is a legal expert on Burma’s common law history and has been involved in the democratic movement in Burma. She first met Suu Kyi in 2002 and although she was not under house arrest at the time, Ms Saffin said her movements were still restricted.
“In our region she is a shining light for people who believe in freedom and peace and the values of democracy,” Ms Saffin said.
Ms Saffin also encouraged her fellow parliamentarians to add their words of encouragement to Suu Kyi at the website www.64forsuu.org.
“We can all add our voices of support for Aung San Suu Kyi and to the calls for democracy and justice in Burma,” she said.
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