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Suu Kyi photo campaign launched
Irrawaddy - June 4, 2009
Lawi Weng – Activists have launched a photo campaign to encourage people to get involved in the Burmese democracy movement and to call for the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myit Myit Aye, a campaign organizer and a member of Nation League for Democracy (NLD) in Meiktila District in Mandalay Division, said that campaign activists distributed 3,000 photographs of Suu Kyi in a Myingyan Township market on Wednesday.
In a similar campaign in Tharzi Township, authorities confiscated the photographs from the public after they were passed out. The campaign plans to distribute another 7,000 photographs in Mandalay Division. "We don't have media freedom here," Myit Myit Aye said. "So many people can't see Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's photograph in the newspapers. Many people are happy we are distributing the pictures and some people even came to my home."
She said they are trying to encourage people to get involve in the democracy movement and to pray for Aung San Suu Kyi's release from prison.
A member of Generation Wave, an activist group base in Rangoon, said the photo campaign also will be launched in Rangoon. "Our respected leader is in prison," she said. "This is not fair. We will continue on our campaign till her release."
Meanwhile, Burmese living abroad also have launched a campaign for the release of Suu Kyi on Facebook, the popular Internet social-networking Web site.
According to the London-based Burma Campaign UK, in late May 40,000 people had registered on the Facebook Web site in support to Suu Kyi.
A Suu Kyi page is being used to promote and coordinate global campaign actions, including a global day of action on Monday when demonstrations will take place in more than a dozen cities including London, Bangkok, Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Canberra, Taipei, Barcelona, Paris, Stockholm, Ottawa, Barcelona, Cadiz, Seville and Kuala Lumpur.
Facebook is increasingly popular among Burmese in exile for social networking and the promotion of Burma causes. Several Burmese activists and campaign groups in the West and in the region also use Facebook to promote Burma.
Suu Kyi has been detained in Insein Prison under charges that she violated the terms of her house arrest when an American citizen visited her house.
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