The civil courage of Burmese women are quite amazing.

Since the current military regime first came to power, Burmese women's sufferings are immeasurably huge. As soon as, military regime came to power, they put student girls who protested against the regime into jail. There, student girls were cruelly gang-raped. Internationally well-acclaimed writer Pascal Khoothwe wrote in his memoirs that his girl-friend suffered the same fate in jail.

And then even today, girls and women are being endlessly raped in the ethnic minority areas as part of the regime's ethnic cleansing program.

When they are not raped by soldiers, Burmese girls are exploited by human traffickers_ Burmese girls are sold as sex-slaves in Thai brothels. Military regime never make any serious attempt to stop that sex-slave-trade.

And some Burmese girls have to work as house-maids in neighbouring countries, and get physically and sexually abused by their masters.

Even when they are working as labourers in Burmese garment factories, Burmese girls get unbelievably low wages and have to work for long hours in difficult working conditions with no labour-rights at all.

On the other hand, there is no woman in the Cabinet of the Military Government. There is no woman head of department in any government department. But Burmese military regime have formed government-sponsored women's associations, to which girls and women are forced to join. Once they join, they are trained to believe that a woman's life is meant to be just an obedient house-wife and to serve her husband like a domestic slave.

Despite all those oppressions, brave Burmese girls never surrender. They fight for democracy. They fight for human rights. And they fight for women's rights.

The most well-known and well-respected brave Burmese woman is our leader Aung San Suu Kyi. She is, nowadays, the icon of democracy for all democracy loving people around the world.

And there is Cho Cho Kyaw Nyein, a well-known pro-democracy activist inside Burma. And then lately, Su Su Nwe in Burmese prison because she fights for labour rights.

In Thai-burma border region, Dr. Synthia Maung's clinic for refugees and internally displaced people and exploited Burmese labourers in Thailand is standing like a sanctuary for all those people.

And recently, the S.W.A.N, an ethnic minority Shan women's association has done many courageous actions to save the lives of ethnic minority girls from rapes and exploitations by Burmese soldiers. President George W Bush saw one of the leaders of S.W.A.N and praised her courageous works and discussed with her for the ways and means to improve human rights conditions in Burma.

And as a widely respected leader in pro-democracy community, we must also mention Maureen Aung Thwin who have been providing great help to Burmese political activist around the world especially those resettled in U.S.

So Burma Digest give a whole-hearted salute to all these brave Burmese women. SALUTE!