Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

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(Following questions and answers are done by various news agencies during the first week of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi release. All these interviews were sent through ASIA TV sattelite and monitored in Bangkok, Thailand by the ABSDF.)

Q: I want to know your immediate and future plans.
A: The immediate plans are to conduct this press conference.....

Q: Have you had contact with your husband?
A: No! Not at all. I don't have telephone in the house.

Q: Did you expect your released this time?
A: Well! To tell the truth, I thought I will be released around first week of August. I though that the authoriies will waite for people to give up hope that I haven't been released and then suddently released me. But obviously I was wrong and I very grateful to say that they have deserved the law strictly in this time.

Q: What is the way forward regaring Constitution Convention ...
A: Well, the way forward is supposed to find out ?? and what is they stand for process of democracy and what they want to achieve. You would remember that I am not a dictator. I am a member of the group of people working for democracy so I have to consult the other people opinion before I decide.
Q: Will the Slorc return power to the people?
A: That's what we always said, you see.
Q: Why they didn't do that?
A: This is their intention and we intent to help them every way we can to return to power to the people. This is not just my intention and this is an intention of everybody who want democracy and it is obviously the intention of Slorc if you read it everyday in the Slorc newspaper.

Q: Are you going to organize the public rally?
A: I said as I told you I have to take these step by step.

Q: ??National Convention???
A: It is supposed to be national convention and national convention means all forces in the nations are involved. And we hope we would like to see as a true national convention.

Q: ???
A: Well, you know election took place in 1990. This is now 1995 and hope is most important about the election was that they clearly reflected the will of the people. That I think important and keep our mind of. We may have moved on 6 years, but we must continue to respect the will of the people. But in a way, which is acceptable to all those who can truely work this democracy and peace in the nation.

Q: Could you work with Gen Khin Nyunt and Gen Than Shwe?
A: Oh! I can work with any body, Why not!
Q: What would you though about the two men?
A: Well, I though that Gen Than Shwe was very nature, very honest and straigth foward. And Gen Khin Nyunt I found rather charming. But that was Burmese way of charming.

Q: No plan of public rally your speech apart from what you might do here?
A: No! no plan. I hold the plan like that until I find wider consideration.

Q: ??? .going to the temple?
A: Even that one has to work very carefully. It could interprete as a rally. That's also something we have to discuss and work hard. We are also very displine organization in spite the fact that we been linking a long for sometime due to circumstances beyound our countrol and etc. And we don't just go out and do what we want to do. We consult each other. We find out the concensus of opinin. Opinion of the people because what we don't want is to get out of touch. We always have to keep in touch with public, the public opinion, the public hope and the public fear. We don't want to give them false hope. With on the other hand, of course we don't want to, I keep saying that I don't want them to be frighten, I want them to get rid of their fear. But I don't want to do that by given them false hope. They should be able to look at the situation straight, accept that the difficulty to what they are. And still find the courage to do what is suppose to do.

Q: Did you hear anything from your long-supporters talk about fear and what the signifcances are?
A: I haven't been aware of hear last two days. But I never talked about fear. That's why they didn't say anything about this. Perhaps, I should ask them "are you afarid."

Q: Slorc said you've been released unconditionally but you've been released into a country where to be politically active is banned. I means it is very very difficult. I means, what is your view on that?
A: Well, if you remember my statement in January, I said that I intended to taking active part in the movenment for democracy. So, I think I should be active politically. Because I look upon myself as a politician. That's not a dirty work you know. Some people think that there are something wrong with politicians. Of course, something wrong with some politicians. It's the way they do.

Q: You are not consider the National Convention as part as you had said last year in Febreuary.
A: Has anything changed at the National Convention since then? Q: I have no idea. I am asking your opinon.
A: Unless you can tell me what changes they have taken place at the National Convention, it wil be difficult for me to tell you that I have changed my mind,. I haven't had a chance to find out what's going on at the National Convention.
Q: Have you changed your mind?
A: I haven't had a chance to find out whether I should change my mind.

Q: Do you have any idea exactly how many of your friends have been detained still since 1988 and 1989?
A: It is shifting population, you know - in jail. I cannot say how many, because some time they are more, some time they are less. For the moment, I think of the better know ones - better know ones - they are about 40. As I understand 40, Four - zero better know ones. But I have asked them list. I would not having quote this number for 40 any signifacent. Because this is just a rough gust by one or two people to whom my put it enquire..
Q: Are they all NLD?
A: Not necessarily. I don't think of the NLD has just one organization, apart to the rest of the movenment for democracy. So when they talk to me about people who are in prison, they are talking about those who are not in the NLD. For example, Min Ko Naing. Min Ko Naing, we think of as part of our democratic forces. We don't leave him out just becuase he is not a member of the NLD.

Q: What your program for today and the another two, three days?
A: Well, for today, I have a number of meetings line up. And tommorrow too, solid. And the day after too, solid. Well, Thursday and Friday is solidly book up with me to meet with various people.

Q: Do you want to meet public today?
A: Oh! a lot of people outside?
A: Yes, Yes
A: Then, I think I will go out and talk to them. I am sorry I have been meeting people continuously since this morning. So I really don't know what's going on outside.

Q: Have you had any though of why you think they released you now?
A: I think they though propably this is a right time.
Q: Why is that?
A: Because, well! I should had been released three years ago, you know. Then, they changed the law. I should had been released last year. But the intepratation of the law was again changed. And to hold me further, they will have had to change the law again perhaps.

Q: But it is not just the legal thing, isn't it?
A: Is not just the legal thing. But I think it propably for other reasons as well. It is legally it is the right time.

Q: What reason do you think they have? Why they willing to have you out there?
A: Well, I have been listening to journalists speculation about me on various radio programs. Something between it is because the authorities feel confidence enough. Something to think that it is because of the international pressure. Well, I must work heard, which I thin is the right answer. I haven't been out to about yet. But in my opinion, international pressure is always count. And this world, you really cannot discount international opinion where ever you are.

Q: How did you feel yesterday, you have been approached from the people in front of your house?
A: I always feels very at home with the people. When I meet them, they were just like meeting friends and family. They were very informal. And what make me very happy is the fact that they are not afarid of me. They treat me very much as a friend, as family, as elder sister, their younger or aunt or their daughter. And I find it very plasent at one point I said to them, that "I think you should go away because you are blocking the car," and one of them said "Oh! there is another way that they can go home." I like that. I like the fact that they are not afarid to talk to me. And they are not afarid to disagree with me. But when I am reasoning to them, then, they accpeted it. This I feels very proud of my people when I meet them like that. So, they are so nice, and they don't look at to me like somebody greate and big but just as somebody who belongs to them. And that's the very nice feelling. And I like them talking back to me.

Q: Have you had a chance to talk with many of your supporters? What is you sense of the state of democracy movenment in the country?
A: I think is very very strong. I think the assisst is strong and didicated as it was before, although of course, the situation now is not the same as it was in 1989.

Q: Are you having trouble with faction within the NLD and so forth and to see different view on politics.
A: I have nothing aware of it at all. So far. I must find out. But so far, I am not aware of any different view.

Q: Havn't slorc sent any new people to report what happen within last 24 hours.
A: Last 24 hours! Well! you know my old laision officer was hear at the press meeting. I was very happy to welcome.

Q: Why do you think why they are keeping your release as a serect.
A: I really don't like to speculate about other people motive. I might be quite away out. So, it is better not to. I don't mind. It doesn't worry me.

Q: Unofficially, some military people are saying that there are 104 guide-lines with the constitution. Are these guide-lines will going to be problem with your negotiation?
A: Well! If there are 104 of them, I can heardly answer them...Actucally, I won't really make any decision about what my next step is going to be until I have consulant with my colleagues very very fully. I am not in a hurry to rush into anything. I am not in hurry to prove anything. What ever I do, I wanted to be solid valid to the country.

Q: So, under the new constituion law at the National Convention last year will approve the army take part in the politics in the future and in the government also. How do you think about this?
A: It is not the sort of thing that we were working for when we started for movenment for democracy. And this is something that most of my colleagues will agree about. This is not our aim when we started working movenment for democracy. But, actually, everything is open to negotiation and all problem can be solved through good will and compromise. As long as all of us wish only for the good of the nation, we should have no trouble. But all of us have to waite to do something that will benifit the nation as whole.

Q: That you convince the military has the same view when talking to the opposisiton forces.
A: You means, do they have good will to us as nation as whole..
A: Yes.
A: Well! I'm very mch hopeful. They always said they do.

Q: Are you getting any information on what happening on border areas in the Karen areas.
A: No! I haven't read the paper today. Is there anything on paper about that?
A: I don't think so.
A: I am sorry. I don't know anything about it. I though there was something in the paper. I am not sure.

Q: Is there a danger on over expectation from part of your supporters.
A: Yes, of course, there is always a danger. I would like to take this opportunity to warm everybody not to expect too much too quickly. I think there is still long away ahead. The way is not going to be all that smooth. But as long as we have a will. As long as we go about intelligently, I think we will get there.

Q: In how many years, do you think? A: That's sort of speculation I don't believe it. People are always saying how many years and how many years. Doesn't it matter.? As long as we get there.

Q: Did you received any message from organizations which are based in border areas?
A: No! How would they send the messages, through you? You better give me.

Q: What is imporatant thing toward democracy, to progress democracy? What is the most important point?
A: The most important point I think for us is to keep our eyes very very statute on our goal. And must not let ourself get aggressive by un-important factors but to be reality. We may get very statute. We got to keep our eye firmly on our goal and we got to be brave but not hardy. I have to say this very very difficult to some of our young supporters that courage and hardness are not the same. Courage means that if you have to suffer for something worth sufferinmg for, then you mush suffer. But there is no point of unnecessary suffering. The whole reasons why we want democracy is because we want to lessing the suffering of the people. We don't want to increase it.

Q: You know how much suffering the people at the border areas.
A: Have you been there?
A: Yes, I have been there?
A: Are they suffering a lot?
A: Do you think you have a chance to go and visit there to see by your eye?
A: I don't think I ever had a chance to visit to these areas. But I think such a visit will do any good. If such a visit will do any good for our nation, of course I would like to. But I don't want to go there, just to take a look around. I want to something possitive to come out of my action.
Q: What your means understand their sutiaution of daily life of the ordinary people outside. What is your plan?
A: The first thing I have learnt in the last two ..three days..is how tramendously inflationess. That is most people I have been talking about. And I myself of course aware of it becuase I also have to buy my own food. This is what a lot of people talk about how prices are goes up.

Q: What sort of leadership role do you see for yourself in the NLD in long time future?
A: I think it is very dangrous to talk about your leadership for yourself. I means it is always the people who decide what sort of role they want to give you. That's the essence of democracy. The people should decide who they want as their leader and what kind of leader they want and how they want the particular leader to be. That's the essence of democracy. I don't think it is for me to say I want to be like this or I want to be like that or even I want to be a leader. It is for the people to decide.

Q: Are you going to meet us again?
A: I hope so. Or I don't know about the next one or two days but if there is reason to meet you again, I would like to. I am very fond of the press.

Q: Would you ask for more dialogue. Would you waite here the other side...
A: I though I've been asking for dialogue all the time. Did I not make you clear? More dialogue! More dialogue! More dialogue!

Q: How would you feel the role of the UN in Myanmar?
A: I think the United Nations should be given an important role in every country they belong to. I think so the United Nations role in Burma also should have some significent.

Q: When a ...have you been most disappointed and also the most happiest in this 6 years?
A: I don't think I had ever been very very disappointed and very very harsh. I had adopt the Buddhist scence of equanimity. All the whole. Not all the time. But actually, sometime, I was depressed. But not so much that I can remember it. I had no time that I can find out I was very very depressive.

Q: Do you have any plan to see Gen Khin Nyunt and high officials from Slorc?
A: Well, I always said I plan to see them any time. So, my door is alwsys open.

Q: Why didn't you had such a meeting?
A: I think this is something you got to ask the Slorc.

Q: ??
A: I don't know about soon, I do believe that democracy will come to Burma. Because it is something that people want. And I think in the long run, they really cannot resist the people.

Q: You mentioned involvement of all political groups in Thailand. You means that governmet of Dr Sein Win should take part in the meeting.
A: Dialogue should be extended to include as many people as possible which will represent verious political cultural.

Q: Do you have any plan to attend the Marty's day ceremomy?
A: Do you know I haven't in fact time to think about it. I know it is next week but I think I need to sit down and discuss with this collagues.

Q: When do you think the Democracy will come?
A: I am not a fortune teller, you know. I never encourage people to go to fortune tellers. And this not a sort of thing that I ever encourage.

Q: ..... Is there any depression on your part any side or any fear that you would not be released.
A: Absolutely sometime.

Q: Have you asked about help
A: Oh! Ya! health is of course, ...security arrangement. I felt that they have done with genuine will. I asked them when they talked about it. And, they suggested that there would be better to have a few guards at the gate.??

Q: Can you describe the first few menutes of you and former colleagues of NLD, what you would like to see of all this year of many days in prison.
A: Oh! feel hostages.

Q: Here is a natural gas pipeline that being built between Burma and Thailand. I don't know its already been asked. What is your view on this. Do you think it is good idea to continue building this pipeline.
A: I want to look further into what this natural gas pipeline is meant to achieve the people of Burma.

Q: So, you don't have a d.....
A: No, I don't know that much about the gas pipeline apart from what I heard from radio. I don't think that suffcient.

Q: What do you think about the cease-fire between the rebels and the Slorc? Have you support about this peace?
A: Cease-fire is a cease-fire. What we want is a permanet peace settlement. I don't think this is just my openion. I think this is the openion of everybody in Burma.

Q: about NLD ???
A: Have I ever sent my resignation?

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Q: What do you think about Col Kyaw Win?
A: Col Kyaw Win is just as charming as Gen Khin Nyunt.

Q: How did you keep your spirit up during last 6 years?
A: Thinking of my colleagues, my father and ? ?

Q: Do you think you can restore the NLD as in 1989?
A: Absolutely don't want! We don't want the NLD to be just exactly as it is in 1989. We want the NLD to be what it ought to be in 1995.

Q: What do you think about the National Convention?
A: I have to study further. That was in February when I met the United States Congressman Bill Richardson. That I don't like the way that convention is going. And I still have reservation about it. And I keep in open mind. I think it should be there are a lot of changes necessity.
Q: But what changes, would you be willing to participate in it? A: If there is changes acceptable to the people, I don't see why I should resist the will of the people.
Q: What is acceptable to the people? What is the will of the people?
A: Guarranttee democracy!

Q: Japan has stopped ODA aid to Maynmar since 1988 because of military crack down in your gorup. Now, do you agree to reopening of the ODA of Japan to your country.
A: I think aid donor country should depend more than the faith of one person. I am just one person. And I think my release is not as important as the a lot of Burmese people in general. And so the resumption of aid to be base on what changes are broad about to better the condition of the people. Rather than on my release alone.

Q: ???
A: I do not agree to hesitate step. I think, I would like the Japanese Government to look at the situation and to save for the in fact situation of the people has inproved.

Q: In your statement, you have Gen Than Shwe ask you to help toward achieving peace and stability in Myanmar. But how will you do it?
A: This is something that we will got to talk it over. I cannot do it alone. If the autorities wish me to help peace and stability, they also have to make possible for me to help. You cannot just say "help." You've got to make or create a situation which the help can be given effectively.

Q: And also you said your aim is to return power from military to the people. And the same time you said the importance of dialogue. So how will you make military to return power to the people through dialogue.
A: It was the military who said their aim was to return power to the people. This is the Slorc that you see in the Burmese newspaper it is the aim of the Slorc is to return power to the people. And since we want to return power to the people. We see this is very good basic for negotiation. Since this is the common aim.

Q: But if they refuse to do it. How will you achieve your aim?
A: We have to think other ways.

Q: Other way! What do you means?
A: Well! If they refuse to negotiate, do you means if they refuse to negotiate, then we got to find and think of the way to persuding them. The negotiation is the best way. Perhaps, we can provide enough reasons for them to see that the best thing for the people is all of us concernd to sit around the table and find the common way of solving the problem.

Q: Are you confidence that you can persude them?
A: I am confidence that we will reach our goal in the end. I am not saying that it is going to be easy. I said it will be very long. It is not going to be easy. We are always saying in the movement for democracy is not just that the road is hard. It is that there is no road at all. We got to build the road as we go along.

Q: And the Slorc always inisit that the military must have a special role in Myamar. So, Could you tell us your opinion about the role of military in Myanmar?
A: We all have the special role to play. I don't think just one single group has special role to play in the nation. Each group in the nation has special role to play just as every single person has it own value as a human being in the world. Even those there are billion of them.

Q: Last year I think you said National Convention was something like rumber stamp for the Slorc. So, what do you think of the national convention now?
A: I donot think that the national convention has changed subsentially since I make this remark. So, untill there are subsentially changes I propably have no reason for making any subsentially changes either in my opinion toward the national convention. But I think everything is open to compromise and negotiation. Between those who are reasonable and senseble.

Q: The election in 1990, the main subject was the dialogue with the government.
A: I'm sorry! Oh! the election of 1990! The most important thing of the election of 1990 is express the will of the people, very clearly. And that should would be one of the main subject of the dialogue with the government. The Will of the People. Because, true democracy mean respecting the will of the people, identifying it and respecting it.

Q: Could you describe as precisely as possible your daily life?
A: Under house arrest! I was get up at 4:30 in the morning. I was medidate for an hour. Then I would listen to the BBC world service, then I would listen to the VOA news in the Burmese, and then the BBC news in Burmese. If I could hear it, I would listen to the Democratic Voice of Burma but that always not very clear, sometime I couldnot hear it. Then of course, take bath, breakfast, and then the rest of the day I divided into period for reading, for walk around the house, for soring and for playing a bid of music. My younger son taught me to play a guitar last year. So, I tried to play, but not very good at.
Q: How about piano?
A: Piano went out of order long time ago. And I must try something done.

Q: The present Government is writing a new constitution. How do you think about their draft constitution?
A: They draft constitution as a stamp. It is not my idea of the democratic constitution.
Q: So, what your opinion on how to write democratic constitution?
A: I think any constitution for any country should be written by consultating the will of as wide coverage of the people as possile. Of course, every single person in the nation cannot sit down at the conference table and say this is the way they want our constitution to be. But as wider range of the opinon as possible should be taken into consideration.

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Q: ???
A: I believed that most of this minorities groups who have reached the cease-fire, also want the democracy. So, I would not let to think of it as my movenment. I would like to think of it as the movenment of people in general.

Q: But you are symbol of the democratic movement of Myanmar?
A: Perhaps, perhaps, I am symbol, but symbol is not enough. Symbol does't get any work. It really work that get suite. Where you want to get to. I think to achieve we need the support and cooperative of the people.

Q: It seems to me that the you are very, you want the people refarim from over action in the democracy movenment. Do you fear some bloody reaction from the government?
A: I would not primarily thinking about bloody reaction, as you put it. But in the sense that I don't want them to have too high expectation. This is not very healthy. We got to understand that there is too a lot to be done. I don't want them to think that this because I have been released, we certainly gone forward several steps. No! We've gone for one small step. I am just one person. My circumstances have changed. The fact that circumstances of one person in this country has changed. This not means that much. What we want to see is subsential changes of the circumstances of the people as a whole.

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Q: ????
A: Well, if they are resuming ODA because of my release, I don't think that is sufficent reason. Because as I have explained my release means change in the condition of one person, ME! It doesn't mean that change in the condition of people of Burma. So, should the resumption of ODA depend entire on the change in the condition of one single individual? That's not seem to me right.

Q: ???
A: I think the question should be put a little more differently. Why did they feel that beacuse of my release. It is the good reason for increasing investment. It is the same things as about ODA. Why should the different in the condition of one single person make them feel that the country has now changed and enough for them to increase investment. It seems to rather narrow way of looking at it. It is not the conditon of one person. We must consider. It is the condition of the whole country. After when any companies is making an investment, they would like to study the whole situation. They are just going to one house and ask them. How do you like our good? They are just going to find out from situation of one house whether or not their investment will be successful. In the same way, the change in my situation, this not seem to me as suffcient reason why they think they should be changed in their policy.

Q: The government control the information. So, how do you inform your idea to your people?
A: Through people like you!

Q: Under this circumstances, how do you do for democracy?
A: Well! I do, what ever I can and what I see to be my duty. And I feel that all the Burmese do that. If as many as possible do what ever they can toward achieving democracy, we will get there. It is not going to be easy. I have never said it will be easy. And perhaps, it better that it is not easy. Because we will them value it much more. If it is too easy, people intent to think that it is cheap. We don't want cheap democracy. We want the democracy that is solid and that will benfit the democracy for many many generation to come.

Q: What kind of democracy do you want?
A: I've just said you know for me, genuine democracy means genuine respect for the will of the people. The will of the people must be respected. Not just lip service. By word and by action, the people must be valued to respect.
Q: ????
A: Basically, most unhappy thing about Burma is lack of trust. Lack of trust between the various ethnic groups. Lack of trust between the government and the people. This is not going to get our country to a situtation where we can achieve peace and prosperity.
Q: How can we get trust each other?
A: We have got to make yourself trust worthy. You know, you got to be honest and sincere. And you got to keep your word. I am very very much afarid of making promises to the people because I don't want to break my promises. This is why I don't like to break make promises. I don't want to say I am going to do this for you and then find that I cannot do. So, I always say I do what I can, I do my best. More than that I cannot do. I cannot say I promise you democracy in so many years. I promise you this, I promise you that. I promise you security. I cannot promise any of this thing. All I can promise is that with their love and their support, I will go on and I will go on till we reach our goal.

Q: ??
A: If Japan want to help excellarate the economic process in Burma, it must study the very very carefully not just from an official pot of view but from the point of view of the people. You know, is the people who are important. Govenment is not the important part of the country. It is the people. From the people, araise the strength of the nation. And unless you can watch what is happening among the people, and unless you can study the expectation and asperation of the people, you will not be able to help the country. If you really want to help the country, if you ought to excellarate the democratic process which the people of Burma want, you must study the people more closely. You must go out among the Burmese people. You must able to do that. Are you able to do that? Are you people from Japan able to go out among the Burmese people, ordinary Burmese people and find out how they feel and what they want? You are not able to do that. Can you claim that they have been able to that? Unless you are able to that, unless there is situaiton in which you can do that, how can you know that you have found the answer to the problem that you have found the best way of Burma toward democracy. And so, you should listen to the voice of ordinary of people of Burma and find out what it is that they want.

Q: ??
A: Why is there conflit between the ethnic groups of Burma because we don't trust each other. We think that the other group doesn't care our warefare. Therefore we were always in conflit. We were each working for our own warefare. Instead of working for common warefare. But if there will be still trust, if we felt that we could work together as nation, as brother, there would be no need for conflit. This is one of the reason why dialogue is so important. Because, we want to get people into the habit of talking over the problem rather fighting them out. If you have problem, if you have something about which you disagree, the best thing to do is sit down and talk about. It is no use shooting each other. That's not the way to solve the problem. It would kill both of you but it is not the way to solve the problem. So, that is why democracy is important. Democracy is not just the will of the people. It firstly will of the people and it is about resolving problem through political means not through violent means. If we have all the chance to resolute problems through political means there would have been no conflit between the Karen and the Burmese, the Mon and the Kachin and anything like that. If the Karen didn't like what Mon were doing, they could sit down and talk about it. If we have established such a tradition, this is why we want democracy. We want the system where people sit and talk about their problem and meet the conclusion which is best for the nation and which is in keeping the will of the people.

Q: Do you think that the Slorc governmnet would change and dialogue with you?
A: I hope that they will change to do what ever they see to be the will of the people. I hope that they will study the will of the people. I hope that they will listen to the voice of the people and act accordingly. .?? I am sure that they aslo desire what is good for the nation.

Q: Are you optimastic about the future of Burma?
A: Yes, I am causiously optimastic about the future of the country. Because I believed in the people. I believed in the people. I think they have some way to go. I think we all have to change. I think we all need to imporve ourselves. But I think basically there is a lot of good stuff in Burma.

Q: Would you mind telling me your body weight?
A: 106 pound.

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Q: First of all there are more than 7 thousands Burmese expatriates in Japan and ten of thousands in Thailand. They have been waiting for your leadership and instruction, may be. So, would you give them some message.
A: First of all, I want to thanks them for keeping me in their heard for so long and for helping me for keep up my spirit during the year of detention. I think one of the thing which is helping most during this year is feeling that I have their support and and their love. It have make a greate deal to me. Now that I released. It means that we have got to start working harder than ever. It doesn't mean that we reach our goal. It just means that we have been allowed to take one small step forward. And we've got to make best of it so that we can go on forward, forward, forward all the time.

Q: Are they really looking forward to coming back to Burma? But do you think it could be near future?
A: I hope it could be as soon as possible. Because I know that they want to come back to their own country. And one of the reason why we started engaging this movenment for democracy is because we want Burma to be in country where all the citizens can live in peace and security, financial, political and social.

Q: Japan govenment, they have set the small loan to the Burmese government. And then, they will start big loan about may be airport construction and so on. What do you think about this idea?
A: I think it will be very good if the Japanese government study the situation very carefully. And take more time before they make such decision. Because what we want is aid that will be of direct help to the people of Burma. Which will be best for the common people, the one who needed most. And in order to decide what kind of help would most benifit people it need time. It need real intense of study and that is what I would like to very humbly advise the Japanese government to do. To study the situation first.

Q: Give me some more idea about your near future plan and your final aim?
A: My final aim of course very simple, democracy for Burma. Such a democracy is benifit all the people of Burma, not just one section or two. And the my immediate aim to work out the best way in which we could forward to this goal.

. Q. ...What changes have to be made?
R. I think that we have to change the way people think. It is only by changing the way that people think can we progress towards peace. I think that the change is coming. I think that many people are beginning to realise now that material development is not everything. The last century has been one of material development, great material development, but I think that people are now starting to realise that material development did not bring with it more happiness as it were.

In some fields such as medicine of course there has been progress and in the developed countries people are better off than they have been, people are not suffering from poverty, people are not suffering from a lack of medical care, a lack of education, but they are still suffering from a lack of happiness and a lack of internal peace. So it must come from within. Education is one of the most important things and I notice that the Hague Peace Conference is also interested in promoting peace education, of teaching children about peace the way that they are taught to read and write and to do sums.

Q. Do you have any other ideas about ways of thinking that people must change in order to have peace?

R. I don't think that you can say that people must change because people don't change just like that. They have to be taught to change and its not going to be a very fast process. I think that would be a bit of wishful thinking. I don't think that we can change people over night. It will take time and it will take a lot of perseverance. I think we have to be very patient. Educating children means starting from the very very basic level and not just in the schools but in the homes as well. So educating children means educating the parents as well. And some of the parents unfortunately are beyond the stage where they can be educated. I always like to say that there are only two kinds of people in the world: those who can learn, and those who are not capable of learning. And I don't think that they are good or bad people as such. There are those who are always capable of learning and those who are never capable of learning. You can try to explain to them why basic human rights are necessary, you can try to explain to them why peace is necessary, but they will never grasp it. There are those who are like that. But there are those who are quick to learn. But I think that every human being has the capacity to learn and change even though the speed at which they can learn and change is not always the same.

Q. What do you think of this being a civil society conference, as opposed to governments sponsoring this conference?

R. I like the idea because after all democracy basically means a pluralistic society, and I think that we have to encourage this pluralism. The more the better.

Q. They mention that the plan of the Hague Peace Conference is to launch a number of actions for the new century, such as the Land Mine Treaty and those ideas. Do you have any other suggestions?

R. Well I think that we have to also think about educating adults, not just educating children, because as I said earlier, unless you educate the parents you can not really educate fully. You can not expect children who come from a family where there is no respect for peace and human rights to learn respect for peace and human rights at school easily. So I think we need education in general not just in schools. I think we need more people and more organisations more interested in the idea of promoting peaceful societies.

You know when you talk about abolishing the trade in small arms or nuclear disarmament, these are not... arms and weapons do not just fall down from the sky. They are made by human beings, and unless human beings are taught that there are many many ways of progressing, of getting what you need without using arms, I think the manufacture of arms will continue.

Q. For instance, it is so difficult because in Cambodia even the farmer at the basic level knows that he has rights, just the basic command of 'do to others as you would have done unto yourself'... but when they are faced with the government...

R. But the members of the bureaucracy and the government they also have sprung from the same society. You say that even this small farmer knows that he has basic rights, how is it that members of the government does not know that he has basic rights if they all come from the same society? This is what I mean by the need for general education. Of course those who suffer from a lack of rights are more aware of the fact that they need those rights, and those who are in a position where they can deprive people of those rights where they enjoy all the privileges that they could want.

This is normal in authoritarian societies and dictatorships. But what we need is the kind of education that will prevent authoritarian governments from coming up again. This is one of the aims of the National League for Democracy. We've always said that what we want to do is not only to establish democracy, but to establish the kind of society where there can not be any dictatorships of the future.

Q. ...How do you feel about the abolition of war for peace as a human right?

R. I don't think that you can just ask for the abolition of war. I think as I said earlier that you have to teach people that there are ways of getting what you want without of going to war, and you must think of what others want and not only what you want all the time and say that 'If I don't get it, I'll just take a gun and shoot your way to get what you want.

Q. ...Our final product will be the Hague Agenda for Peace and Justice in the 21st century which will be reported to intergovernmental agencies as well as a text that people can follow and monitor. Do you feel that that is a good idea, and if so in what way?

R. I do think that it is a good idea to make ideas on peace and justice available to a wide range of people. We just have to wait to find out how to implement this in practical terms.

Q...How would it...?

R. This is what I mean because in practical terms it will take some doing. Because after all think about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we are now celebrating its 50th anniversary and there are many many people in the world who have no idea of its existence. So to make people aware of the existence of a 'bible' on peace and justice, and to make such a 'bible (in quotation marks) available to everybody, would not be easy in practical terms, which is not to say that we shouldn't try.

Q. Do you have any other suggestions for a way to make it more practical...?

R. I think the more people accept this idea, the quicker it will spread. It all comes back to education. It all comes back to winning people's minds.

Q. Do you think that for instance if this kind of agenda did come into the hands of the government, would this help the people of Burma - would there be a way of disseminating this type of information?

R. I suppose that it is the National League for Democracy who would have to do this kind of work, as things are. I do not think that the current government would go about distributing tracts on peace and justice...

Q. A few other things... What is the lesson of Burma for the rest of the world?

R. I think its not just the lesson of Burma for the rest of the world. Burma is not really unique. We are not the only country where people are suffering from a lack of basic human rights and we feel for others in the same situation. If there is any lesson to be learned from Burma is that it helps when people care. I think the case of Burma has become widely known because people outside Burma have cared enough. So the most important thing is to have caring friends all over the world to help us achieve our goal of basic human rights and democracy.