AN UNHAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR BURMA'S AUNG SAN SUU KYI

June 19 marks the 64th birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the non-violent movement for human rights and democracy in Burma. But unlike most people who get gifts or at least something enjoyable for their birthdays, she's getting a trial and maybe even five more years of jail—all because someone broke into her house and inevitably caused Suu Kyi to violate her terms of house arrest. She has already served thirteen years of her life under house arrest, and thus making her the world's ONLY Nobel Peace Prize recipient still in jail.

It's ridiculous how low the ruling military junta have stooped in order to maintain their iron fist over Burma (now known as Myanmar) because, in fact, the law that Suu Kyi violated was outdated and voided long ago. Maybe it's just me, but doesn't that just sound wrong and unlawful? A government should protect people and provide a model of right and wrong, not to jail protestors and silence dissent. Oh, but wait there's more! If you think randomly jailing a pro-democracy activist for no apparent reason was bad, the Burmese military have committed other atrocities to young children as well.

Just a few days ago, the Burmese government attacked an orphanage that housed children traumatized by the ongoing ethnic conflict. These children who did absolutely nothing to harm anyone were forced to flee to Thailand, while others who weren't as lucky were killed. Sons, daughters, nephews, and nieces were killed; young children who had much to live for had their lives cruelly cut short. Even those who have escaped into Thailand are not safe from the clutches of the military because Burmese soldiers are already willing to go into Thailand and attack camps on the border as well.

The worst part of it all is that countries such as China and Russia have turned a blind eye to all this because they have economic interests in the country. Because of them, Burma has escaped much of the harsh criticism from the UN Security Council who want to open a war crimes probe. The latest report from the UN accuses the military regime in Burma of "epidemic levels" of forced labor, the recruitment violence, extrajudicial killings and torture, and displacement of more than a million people. Such acts are comparable to the atrocities of Darfur.

In 2007, Burmese monks took to the streets to protest against the military junta. But these peaceful protests were violently put down with raids on monasteries, and deaths and imprisonment for the monks. Despite the international outcry that followed, still the junta sits in power, thousands of children have been killed, and democracy is absent. These children, these people, need more than politicians' condemnations, but rather your support. They need you to speak out, and seriously give them a voice. Please free Burma.

Between The Sun And Skyrocket Love