With no peace, There's no place for them to go
On March 20, 2012, Bo Kyi, a former political prisoner in Burma, spoke to an audience of about 150 people after a screening of “Into the Current,” a film about the plight of political prisoners in Burma.
The film focused on the Burmese government’s arrests of nonviolent protesters and the human rights violations that the government continues to perpetrate against its people.
“There is no peace in Burma,” says Bo Kyi. Displaced people in Burma and refugees outside of it have no place to go because their villages and homes have been destroyed.
The protestors speak of “loving kindness” and not continuing a cycle of violence. Rather than demanding retribution and revenge, they seek justice tempered with mercy for the dictatorial government.
“What we are saying is what we want,” says Bo Kyi.
Bo Kyi founded the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners and suggested that people living in the United States could do a few things to help the situation in Burma get better.
This article was originally published at examiner.com.
The film focused on the Burmese government’s arrests of nonviolent protesters and the human rights violations that the government continues to perpetrate against its people.
“There is no peace in Burma,” says Bo Kyi. Displaced people in Burma and refugees outside of it have no place to go because their villages and homes have been destroyed.
The protestors speak of “loving kindness” and not continuing a cycle of violence. Rather than demanding retribution and revenge, they seek justice tempered with mercy for the dictatorial government.
“What we are saying is what we want,” says Bo Kyi.
Bo Kyi founded the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners and suggested that people living in the United States could do a few things to help the situation in Burma get better.
- Urge the release of political prisoners
- Write to your representatives and senators in Congress
- Write letters to the editor to heighten media awareness
- Adopt one or two political prisoners either current or help a released prisoner get rehabilitated and reintegrated.
This article was originally published at examiner.com.