Myanmar activist takes tough path for pro-democracy fight

Cynthia Maung / Courtesy of Korea-Maesot Cooperation Center

By Lee Kyung-min

Cynthia Maung, Myanmar democracy fighter and human rights activist, said her life mission to fight for democracy will never stop.

Maung came to Korea on Wednesday to receive a prize from the Ilga Foundation, which gives annual awards to Asians for achievements in their respective fields. The 56-year-old is regarded as one of the two most respected public figures in Myanmar, the other being Aung San Suu Kyi.

She said although democracy is nothing new, and is taken for granted by those who already have it, more than hundreds of thousands of displaced people in her country are yearning for political freedom.

“Where I come from, people fear for their lives because of political oppression by the military dictatorship,” she said in an interview with The Korea Times, Thursday.

People in Myanmar have long been suffering from the oppressive regime after the military junta took over the country in 1962, and although democratization is gradually underway, freedom is still far from guaranteed, she said.

Still, Myanmar spends 40 percent of its gross domestic product on its military, while only a mere 3 percent is allocated for health care, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees report.

“Every time I visit a foreign country with a stabilized, democratic political system, including South Korea, I feel more strongly that my country needs to achieve democracy,” she said.

“I hope my visit here will raise awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, urging the military to fully implement democracy.”

Maung, who was a nominee for 2005 Nobel Peace Prize, has won numerous awards in recognition for her humanitarian efforts, including one from the Sydney Peace Foundation in 2013.

Her most notable work is the operation of the Mae Tao Clinic on the outskirts of the Thai-Myanmar border town of Mae Sot, which she set up in 1989, a year after the infamous 8888 uprising, to treat refugees.

During the pro-democracy protest, thousands of protestors were killed during the street rallies by the military regime. Since then, some 300,000 refugee have taken shelter in the border town.

“I hope my struggle will somehow bring positive change to my country, helping the displaced people return home. I know it will never come easy. That is why I will keep speaking up,” she said.

During her stay in Korea, Maung will lecture on the theme of “Migration, Security and Health in Eastern Myanmar,” at Ajou University, Yonsei University and Ewha Womans University.