Political Quotes

“I rise today to announce good news. Dr. Salai Tun Than, University of Georgia graduate and a political prisoner of the Burmese government since December 2001, was released from his 7-year sentence this past Sunday. While many were instrumental in Dr. Tun Than's release, including the University of Georgia Student Government Association and the UGA chapter of Amnesty International, I would like to express my gratitude to Burmese Ambassador Linn Myaing for his assistance and willingness to meet with me to discuss Dr. Tun Than. While I am grateful for Dr. Tun Than's release, I am concerned that his release was contingent upon conditions restricting his future political engagement, effectively denying him his freedom of speech. I hope that in the future, the Burmese Government will strive for more openness, freedom, and democracy in its political process. Burma holds more than 1,000 prisoners like Dr. Tun Than in its prisons, many of whom have been there longer than Dr. Tun Than. This situation must change. I urge the Burmese Government not to stop with the release of Dr. Tun Than, but to release other political prisoners. Only then can democracy and individual liberty flourish in Burma.”