Monk -- painting copyright Kyi May Kaung
Yesterday 12-18-09 another Burma activist donated the luncheon entrance fee for me to go to the Capital Hilton, DC, for a talk by Kurt Campbell on New US Policy in Asia, sponsored by Sasakawa.
My intention was to ask Dr. Campbell to intervene on behalf of American citizen Kyaw Zaw Lwin, Burmese-American activist jailed in Burma and subjected to a mock trial.
He is currently on the 15th day of a hunger strike.
However, Dr. Campbell did not see my constantly raised hand, and I did not get a chance to make my request directly.
Why are his handlers making him so inaccessible, or is he making himself so?
As Catharin Dalpino suggested in an article above, he needs to make himself more accessible to (exile) Burma groups.
I detect a lot of antagonism towards Burmese dissidents when I go to "academic" presentations in DC, and I feel it is uncalled for.
After all, time is showing that the Burmese junta remains as repressive as ever and engagement is likely to fail.
Now the ball is in the SPDC's court, how long is the US engagement policy going to wait for a response from the Burmese junta?
There needs to be some time line.
Kyi May Kaung (Ph.D.)
