FREEDOM FIGHTER

Suu Kyi Vows to Help Ethnic Minorities

In peace process “essential” to democracy.

The heroine of Burma’s storied journey to democracy returns. Popular opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi spoke out Tuesday, vowing to assist the country in putting an end to the interminable conflict between the government and its ethnic minority groups. Suu Kyi made the announcement on historic Union Day, the anniversary of her late father General Aung San’s signing of a 1947 agreement with ethnic minorities to secede from Britain’s control. The videotaped speech was presented to members of her democratic party, who agree with the president’s claim that a resolution with the Muslim Rohingya minority is an “essential” move on the path to democracy. Although Suu Kyi has helped her country significantly in its political transformation, the minority in Burma’s impoverished state remains a dangerous roadblock on the road to freedom.