Interviews with Khin Ohmar

I have a message that I would like to share with all the brothers and sisters in different parts of the world right now who are also going through the same struggle like us, who are struggling for freedom, for democracy, against any kind of authoritarian and dictatorships. We are doing the right thing. We are doing for the truth and justice. Our struggle, no matter how long it takes, and no matter how hard and how difficult, we will win. We will prevail. We will overcome. We just need to keep up with our commitment, with this spirit. We just have to continue.

But I think we have to be smarter nowadays. Because the way that I look at what’s happening in the world right now is somewhat – I may be so wrong with my personal observation – but I feel like the authoritarian military regimes seem to be somewhat upper hand when it comes with a democracy regime.

Somehow some of the democracy governments in the world now tend to be kind of reluctant and kind of pulling back of their push for democracy. It could be for the national interest of the economic growth. Whatever, you know, economic growth, business deals.

But the reality to me is we have to stand together for democracy and human rights. Because, like Daw Aung Saw Suu Kyi said, ”Democracy may not be the best, but so far in the world right now, it happens to be the best.” Before we are able to find another “best,” I think we have to be able to stand together for this current “best” that we have. Whether the governments or the people who are already in the democracy countries, and people who are still struggling for democracy.

But particularly the governments of democracies don’t seem to be strong enough [at] resisting those evil authoritarian military regimes right now. And I think that needs to be changed. And I think we have to change, whether the governments change or not. The people, as the people who are continuing with this struggle, we are the ones who have to change. And I just want to tell those brothers and sisters out there everywhere in the world, we have to continue with our struggle and we will prevail.

Khin Ohmar is a Burmese democracy activist who lives and works in Mae Sot, Thailand. She is a leader of the Women’s League of Burma, the main umbrella organization for women’s organizations in exile and inside Burma.

Khin has served as a spokesperson for the Burmese democracy movement in the United Nations General Assembly and in other international forums. She also serves as coordinator of the Burma Partnership, a regional coalition of civil society groups supporting democracy in Burma, and she is an organizer of the ASEAN civil society and human rights consultation processes.

Admitted to the United States as a refugee after being persecuted for her participation in the 1988 student demonstrations, Khin became a United States citizen and worked for refugee and human rights organizations in Washington, D.C., before moving back to the Thai-Burma border area in the late 1990s.