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TRANSCRIPT OF VIDEO MESSAGE FROM AUNG SAN SUU KYI TO THE CADANIAN AUTO WORKERS' ASSOCIATION ON THE OCCASION OF THE NELSON MANDELA HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD
Speech delivered on video tape, Saturday, December 9, 2:00 pm at the Sheraton Centre, Toronto
It is indeed a great honour to have been given the Nelson Mandela human rights award by the Canadian Auto Workers' Union. It is especially in honour because I believe I am the first recipient of this prize. It is a great pleasure for me to receive a prize from the Canadian Auto Workers' Union. I have never received any prize from any association like this.
We always imagine auto workers to be full of vim and vigour and energy and their support should really give a great boost to our movement.
The workers of Burma have no rights whatsoever but it is not just the workers of Burma, the people of Burma have no rights. There is no rule of law so we are not protected in anyway from the oppression of the military regime.
The case of the violation of human rights in Burma is widely known but I think it is worth repeating. 'Human rights' means every human being should be able to live as free and respected members of society. But we are not free in our own country. We are very much prisoners in our own country. Prisoners of the military regime which decides whether we have the right to freedom or the right even to live. Many of our people have been arrested without trial or without a fair trial, and many of them have been condemned to long years in prison.
A prison sentence in Burma is often tantamount to a death sentence because of the conditions in Burma's prisons. It is not just workers who are subjected to injustice in Burma. It is not just political activists who are subjected to injustice in Burma. It is the general public. Workers will be especially interested in the case of forced labour.
Members of the general public are required to provide free labour whenever the authorities desire it of them. It is called "voluntary" by the authorities, but those who do not provide this voluntary labour are subjected to financial fines, pressures of all kinds, and harassment by authorities. So there is nothing voluntary about forced labour projects which are going on all over the country.
This is why the International Labour Organization had made unprecedented moves in favour of the workers of Burma. The ILO has no longer been able to ignore forced labour. It is a terrible, burning issue.
We would like not just the auto workers of Canada but all the workers of Canada to be aware of the lack of basic rights for the people of Burma. We cannot go to bed at night secure in the knowledge that if we have not committed a crime, nobody is going to arrest us before we wake up in the morning. All too often, political activists can hear a knocking on the door in the middle of the night, and they know that they are going to be arrested. The only crime is that they do not agree with the policies of the military regime.
So Burma, because of its lack of democracy and human rights, is also lacking in unity. To build up a strong union, we require basic human rights. We require rights for all the peoples of Burma, for the farmers, for the workers, for the students, for the politicians, for businessmen, for housewives, and for children.
Unless all of us have the basic rights that will enable us to live as dignified human beings, there is no hope of progress in our country. Progress does not come without effort. Effort cannot be made without the reasonable degree of liberty. What we are asking for is liberty not license. Democracy is by definition freedom with responsibility.
Our movement has been helped greatly by the support of people all over the world who understand our need for basic human rights. We are extremely grateful to those who have given us support. And we are fully confident that with this support we will be able to make Burma the kind of country that will be of benefit to its people and to the rest of the world.
I look forward to the time when the workers of Canada and the workers Burma can unite in a democratic force that will help strengthen peace and stability in our world. Thank you very much.
I would also like to repeat my thanks to the Canadian Auto Workers' Union and in particular to the President, Buzz Hargrove, for making it possible for me to address you today. The award is a great honour but to be able to address you is a great pleasure. Thank you very much.