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"I want to see the people of Burma
smile without fear before I die."

Burning Questions for Khin Ohmar: On the forefront of Burma's future

by Jensine Larsen

I dialed the number to Khin Ohmar's home on the Thai-Burma border with burning curiosity. It had been over a decade since I spoke to my old friend, a petite yet fiery leader in Burma's democracy movement. I yearned to learn how her life has unfolded as an impassioned leader in the democracy movement.

During the 1988 democracy uprising, one of the most pivotal times in Burma's history, Khin Ohmar was a leader, fighting for change in her homeland. Like many young women students, she came of age in a time when perhaps as many as 10,000 people were massacred in the streets by Burmese army troops. As she witnessed the army gun down and drown her friends, she found herself climbing on top of campus rooftops with a bullhorn and shouting for political change to cheering crowds. But when military intelligence began camping outside her home and tracking her movements, she knew that if she stayed in Burma she risked arrest and torture.

Wearing a disguise, she and other pro-democracy activists were smuggled by boat to Burma's remote forests.

Eventually she made her way to Thailand, where, even today, she continues to carry the torch for democracy and light a path for others to follow.

Ohmar, the first thing I have to ask is how you feel right now physically and emotionally. What is your assessment of Cyclone Nargis and what this natural disaster means for democracy in Burma?

Even though I will never let go of my hope, right now I am feeling emotionally stressed and angry. I am frustrated—my emotions are different now, after the cyclone, than they were in 2007 when the monks rose up. In 2007 we felt that there might be another people's uprising and that we might have the opportunity to push the regime hard into a corner so that a door could open for democracy.

But with the cyclone, people are frustrated and desperate. At first we thought that this was the time the international community could step in to help us do something about this country. But that doesn't seem to be the case.

What is giving you the strength and courage to continue?

One way I always gather my strength is to think of Aung San Suu Kyi. She has been alone all these years. I wonder, where does she get the strength? I wonder what she is thinking and how has she been so calm for all these years?

But largely, I believe the people of Burma have suffered way too long and that has to end. Our struggle is for the justice and light.

I truly believe that there must be light at the end of the tunnel. I know as we get closer to the light, we will come upon darker areas, and that is where we are now. This is why I am feeling frustrated. After 20 years—I have to say now I see the long view of this struggle and we want to keep going. We have to continue to move on. I will always be there for the people of Burma.

I just hope I will see democracy before my last day! At the very least I want to go back to Burma. Before I die, I want to see the people of Burma smile without fear.

The truth is that I may not see the fruit of democracy in my life. But all of our efforts will help to bring freedom for the next generation.

You are very involved with the women's movement on the border. What are women's networks working on currently?

Women's organizations on the border are all working non-stop with two main focuses. The first is general women's empowerment and capacity building of their members, including migrant workers and the refugee population on the Thailand, India, China, and Bangladesh border areas. Secondly, they are advocating within the democracy movement itself for increased political participation for women. At the international level, they are exposing the situation for women under the regime, documenting crimes, and writing reports. Slowly, slowly our advocacy work is paying off.

Still, it is very difficult for women in Burmese politics. There is a patriarchal mindset within the leadership of the democracy movement. Politics is an area that traditionally is not seen as a place for women, and it is a slow process to get into decision-making.

The men say, "Well, we won't obstruct you. No one stops you from entering politics." But then, they say, "How can you be given this position if you can't attend all the meetings or you are late? The men don't have an understanding that women have other concerns and worries, like that of the family and the children, that they don't have. They just don't think about it.

What do you think the women's movement needs right now to gather strength?

One of the most important things the women's movement needs to do now is to focus on a strategic plan for the future. It has been over 10 years now since many women's groups began their work on the border, and now we need to be strategically planning for how to increase women's decision-making roles.

We need a plan because you never know what can happen. What if there is a sudden collapse of the army? What if suddenly the country opens up and we have a chance to return? It can happen. There will likely be political chaos if we don't have a plan.

Sooner or later the time will come for the political "transition," the change of guard. There are so many things we have to be prepared for. There will likely be some level of negotiation. Hopefully it will be a tripartite dialogue between the ethnic minority groups, the military regime, and the National League for Democracy, which is what we all want to see. But whatever it is, the women inside and outside the country have to be prepared. Otherwise, those that go to the table will be the men.

We need to have assurances from the male leaders that they will include women in these talks. We also have to make sure that something is signed that includes our concerns. What about the rape and violence that the Burmese army has committed? How do we want to deal with this? What is the justice that we want to see?

Another of our biggest challenges is how to reach the women inside the country. How can we, as women on the border, be a bridge for them? Of course much of this has to do with changing the political situation inside Burma.

For example last year women supporters took to the streets inside Burma to call for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. These women took such a risk to speak up. Of course, there are so many more like this, but overall it is not a large number because women's groups on the ground in Burma are very suppressed.

These are the things that we really need to focus on. There is a lot to do and it is hard on the women's organizations. Capacity building is a nonstop process for us. We train and train, and it is not something that has been easy to sustain. But I do think we can focus on these things and do our strategic planning for the future at the same time.

Is there anything else that you think is holding back women's organizations?

I think the women's organizations need to try a different approach, including organizationally. The organizational structures can be very traditional, but it is also the mindset itself among the women.

Culturally, it is imbedded very deeply that you can't raise questions. I think this is what is prolonging the military rule, in fact!! This exists in every level of our society. You can't question your mother, your father, brother, teacher, director, manager—you just can't! We see this among ourselves as well, not just with men. We have internalized this "do not question your leaders," and it has an impact on our work. Breaking through this is difficult.

Because Burma has been a very closed society for so long, we basically have a lot to learn from other cultures and other organizations. If we start to dialogue among ourselves we can move faster than we currently are.

What do you see possible for the women of Burma?

I definitely believe this is the second wave of the women's movement since the 1988 uprising.

I would love to see an international Burmese women's conference. We need to do something like this so that the many women overseas who have fled Burma and those on the border can be connected. We need to show our solidarity and our strength as the women of Burma.

We can work together to provide women's input into the draft democratic federal constitution, which is currently a working document. We can help to ensure that this document really includes policies for women.

I would also love to see exchanges with women from other countries to learn from their experiences.

What do you consider to be your biggest victories after all these years of the struggle?

My biggest inspiration continues to be the resistance of the people inside Burma since I chose this path 20 years ago. I see so many who are taking risks knowing that they will end up in prison or be killed, knowing they could die. They continue to talk, to resist, and to take risks. Their efforts prove to the world that the people of Burma will not keep silent in the face of this regime.

It used to be that people said "oh it is just the activists in exile who are speaking out. Inside Burma everything is so quiet." The uprisings of 1988, 1996, and 2007 showed this is not the case. This is the spirit of our democracy movement—it is a shared movement.

My second inspiration is finding a common vision with my sisters from Burma. Since I was young I had questions about women's role in religion. I felt so alone and I couldn't talk to anyone about it. When I was in the US, I took women's studies and Theravada Buddhism to study the role for women. Even then I felt alone, especially when I raised questions. But when I came back to the border in 1998 and joined the Burmese Women's Union and I found similar hope and vision.

What can our audience do to support the people of Burma, particularly women?

I urge everyone to:

1. Reach out to the women here on the border and to the women in-country in Burma. Send groups to meet with women's groups here. Also find ways to meet with the women's groups in Burma. Of course you have to keep things confidential, but you can meet with women there and show your support and solidarity.

2. Raise your voice internationally to end this regime. Target the UN, target your governments, and do everything you can to push this regime towards political change for the people of Burma.