Burma’s opposition party, the National League of Democracy won by a land slide in the historic by – elections on April 1st. The NLD won 43 out of 44 seats in parliament up for grabs. This is a milestone for Burma and its people where the lady of Burma, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi who was under house arrest just over a year ago, was guaranteed a seat in Burma’s parliament.
Daw Suu made a victory speech at the NLD head quarters just after the announcement of her win, and in her speech she noted the irregularities and some of the illegal campaigning that she had seen, saying that it will not be over looked. Despite it all, the NLD and Daw Suu came out on top winning 43 out of the 44 seats in parliament.
She spoke in both Burmese and English. Here are the speeches:
No Look Pass is a film about one girl’s search into adulthood to find a sense of belonging in the world. Through basketball, Emily Tay finds peace and herself. Melissa Johnson, the director and producer of the film, No Look Pass initially went to Harvard to create a film on the basketball coach at Harvard, but shifted her storyline when she saw Tay play. Instantly, Tay’s talent and more specifically her story captivated Johnson and her film crew. Johnson says, “Emily Tay is a first generation immigrant from China Town, Los Angeles. She was never supposed to play basketball coming from Burma. Her folks wanted to keep her at home and wanted to keep her from the gangs in Chinatown. Finally she wore them down. She watched Allen Iverson’s tape until she mastered his move. As far as I know she is the best basketball woman Asian player in Los Angeles.”
While the film has humor, there is also tension in the film between Tay and her parents. Although, Tay sometimes clashes with her parents due to cultural values, she still attributes a lot of her success to her parents who came to the US for better opportunities for their children. Tay is now in Germany, playing pro basketball, and she talks to us via Skype about her struggle assessing to the different cultures. Tay states, ” I would be living a completely different life if my parents lived in Burma. They came to America with very little money and came to the US with the idea of the American dream and they use that as motivation. They sacrificed so much- sacrificed everything for my brother and me to go to Marlborough highschool and college.”
After the sacrifices of putting their children in one of the most expensive high schools in the US, one of the family’s biggest accomplishments was seeing Tay graduate from Harvard University, allegedly the most prestigious college in the United States. Emily’s dad was in tears as he talks about his daughter’s graduation at Harvard, “ When I was in Burma, I knew of one school in America- and that was Harvard. Now to see my daughter graduate from Harvard University, is a dream come true.”
Even after all of her hard work, Emily said she didn’t feel like she fit in at Harvard-coming from a different background than her classmates. She did what she could do to make extra cash even if it meant cleaning toilets. Tay remembers her life at Harvard, ” I felt a lot of pressure. It was definitely the most stressful time in my life, and I felt pressured to be successful. And to be around people who were brilliant and super rich, it was a tough environment to be around, especially coming from my background and having immigrant parents and not be as wealthy as everyone else. It was definitely tough.”
Basketball was her escapism to not just fin in but to just be herself and let go of all the other pressures. Tay recalls, “Basketball has done everything for me. It’s given me everything in my life- the opportunities to go to great schools- to travel the world and to live in Germany, and to live a very comfortable life. It’s been a really true gift for me.”
Emily’s story conveys the lives of many immigrant families who have the opportunity to come to America and see the clash of cultures between children and the parents- with the barriers of communication. The film captures the pursuit of the American dream, of cultural values and finding oneself, and how basketball is used as a tool to escape.
Producer :Kaye Lin
Reporters: Lwin Nyein Chan and Kaye Lin
Translator: Lwin Nyein Chan
Videography: Melissa Johnson/ “No Look Pass” the movie
VOA correspondent, U Kyaw Zan Tha met with US Special Envoy to Burma, Derek Mitchell for the second time, and they discussed the importance of the upcoming by-elections on April 1st, the United States’ position on sanctions now as well as after the elections, the road to reform and the opportunities that lay ahead for the people of Burma. Mitchell says that the US is going to be, ” assisting reform and assisting the movement from the privilege of the few to the benefit of the many.”
Zin Mar Aung won the International Women Honor Award by the US State Department for her role in promoting the role of women in politics, leading the efforts of several NGOs to promote this work and to help secure a democratic future in Burma.
We set up a 2 camera shot to interview Zin Mar Aung right before she accepted her award at the State Department. The most difficult part of the shoot was getting the hotel to agree to give us permission to film the interview. They were great sports and so was Ms. Zin Mar Aung.
Interview with Ma Zin Mar Aung: Transcript in English:
VOA’s Khin Myo Thet:You won the International Women of Courage Award from the US Secretary of State. Why do you think they chose you for the award?
Zin Mar Aung :They (the award committee) told me that I was considered for the award as I was a political prisoner, who had endured 11 years in jail, and today I still continue to be involved in political movements- promoting democracy, after being released. In addition, I promoted the involvement of women in politics. I also worked with other organizations when promoting the rights of minority groups and peace in Kachin area. They told me that is why I had received the award.
VOA: You’ve endured an 11 year prison sentence. Why were you imprisoned?
ZMA:It’s a simple answer. I took part in the 1996-1998 students’ movements. We distributed pamphlets, calling on the government to allow us to organize a student union. In 1998, the National League of Democracy ( Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s party- the opposition party of Burma) called on the government to call an assembly within 60 days. We distributed the letters and poems, supporting the NLD. That’s why I was imprisoned.
VOA: What is your life like as a woman political prisoner?
ZMA: It’s like other men and women political prisoners in Burma. I was one of them. The difference is long term and short term. It’s clear how I spent my days in the prison. I wasn’t the only one. There are many political prisoners in Burma. We were detained not because of acting in misconducts but because of doing the right things we should do for our country. I wasn’t the only one imprisoned for this way. I did the right thing and my family also supports what I’m doing. Thinking of all those conditions, I spent my days in the prison.
VOA:11 years in prison isn’t a short term experience, it’s a long sentence. You were imprisoned because of your political movement. Now after being released, you continue to work on politics? Can you tell me why?
ZMA: Those 11 years in prison made me continue to work on politics. 11 years was unfair for me. So much of our country suffers for detaining good people in the prisons. Our country will not develop until this system exists. So, our country must have democracy to stop this system. We need to have a democratic government and a democratic society. We have a lot to work on.
VOA: What do you think of the role of women in a political movement? How important are women in a political movement?
ZMA: It’s clear. Each sector where the women from more than half of the world’s population involve, each sector will develop. The more involved women are, the more developed each sector will be. Hence, the quality of women is important. The lower quality the women have, the level of the economic, health and politics of the respective country will also be lower.
VOA: What would be your plan after returning to Burma?
ZMA: I’ll visit Kachin State. I’ll go there with small organizations in our network. I want to give them the message that I mentioned above. In addition, I’ll open the role of women involved in politics. I’ll continue to work on education foundations that we already have.
VOA: So, there are many things that you’ll continue to work on. How do you feel being awarded the International Women of Courage?
ZMA: Actually, it’s a coincidence. It happened after they’ve met me in Burma. There are many pro-democracy activists like me. Fortunately, I could come here and was awarded. So, I have more responsibilities.
VOA: Thank you so much for joining us Ma Zin Mar Aung.
Thousands of ethnics flee Burma also known as Myanmar to escape persecution. They seek refuge in neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and India. 100,000 ethnic refugees from Burma live in the Mizoram state of India. The Chins are constantly persecuted and run to their neighboring countries to seek refugee status, but find themselves being shunned by their new society as well.
Voice of America turned 70 years old on February 1st 2012, and VOA held a big celebration in honor of all the colleagues and memories that have made VOA as great as it is today. Representatives from 43 language services dressed up on the day to greet guests, governors, ambassadors and etc. to attend our event. VOA Burmese service dressed up in our traditional attire and joined the rest of our colleagues.
We also had four special guests who had sent videos to mark the broadcast agency’s 70th birthday. They need no introduction.
VOA Burmese Blog 