When I visited Burma (also called Myanmar) last year it was timely as Aung San Suu Kyi had just been released from years of house arrest. Though the locals were forbidden to speak publicly of her, privately they reverently referred to her as "The Lady" and I was even driven by her Rangoon house on the lake (which is also forbidden). The visa process is very strident; I would not have been permitted a visa had I listed my occupation as journalist. But though it is not an easy place to visit, the country and its people are warm, welcoming and wonderful and deserve the freedom Aung San Suu Kyi has tirelessly fought for, though it meant leaving her husband and children in Oxford, England, to do so.The just-released movie, "The Lady," beautifully depicts the country, its lovely Lady and the struggles of both. Its ending quote by Aung San Suu Kyi is a directive: "Please use your liberty to promote ours."
Photo by Cynthia Dial
