Editorial: Dear Old British Friends

British are our greatest friends on this side of the Atlantic_ we have two strong allies, the US and Canada on the other side.

The oppression by the military regime inside Burma is so completely ruthless that, whether we like it or not, Burma's democracy movement nowadays has to survive outside Burma. So, naturally we have to seek friends around the world. And we find a good friend in the British.

The conditions inside Burma are so totally bad that our only glimpses of hope lie solely on United Nations' intervention. Among the five permanent members of UN security council, French is, at best, just sitting on the fence while Russia and China are regime sympathizers. So the assistance from our Anglo-American friends has become very crucial for our cause now.

The eagerness of our Anglo-American friends to help our democratic struggle sometimes even make us wonder why, why they are so friendly and helpful!

Maybe there are a lot of reasons.

First of all, it might be the passion of their political leaders to spread democracy around the world.

And for the British, they might probably feel a sense of responsibility to help their former colony. In fact some parts of government machinery in Burma are still ticking with the system left behind by the British_ even doctors in Burma are trained by a medical education based on British system.

And there's a lovely, rather personal, link between Britain and Burma. Our Aunty Suu was educated in Britain and she spent a significant portion of her life here in Britain.

In addition to that there are a lot of dear old chaps in Britain who fought in Burma during second world war against Fascist Japans. And they still remember the assistance given to them by the people of Burma, especially those ethnic people in the hilly regions of Burma. The editor of Burma Digest has personally met_ in geriatric hospital wards_ such old British soldiers who are very eager to talk about their brave actions in Burma during the WW II; and these old gentlemen always love to know that their politicians nowadays are helping Burmese people to restore democracy and human rights in Burma.