Message from Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,
General Secretary for the National League for Democracy (Burma)
and 1991 Nobel Peace Laureate
To Mark World Aids Day 1998, December 1st
[for release on saturday, november 28, 1998]
The control of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus is about
the control of our future. So many of our people in Burma, especially
the young, are vulnerable because of the poor quality of our health
care and social services, and because the authorities are not
prepared to recognize the enormity of the problem and to come to
grips with it.
International agencies and NGOs fear that HIV infection
in Burma is spreading at an alarming rate. We need effective
education programmes and services now. Unless we act urgently,
HIV infection could reach epidemic proportions in our country
and become a major threat to our social
stability and economic potential.
Poor countries struggling to achieve sustainable human
development cannot afford to underestimate the importance of
proper AIDS education and care. The battle against AIDS is not
merely a health issue, it is a battle against ignorance, poverty,
indifference, prejudice and callousness. We need to educate whole
societies, not only that we may be able to control the spread of
the HIV infection but also that those who have already
contracted the virus may be treated with understanding and
compassion. It is a sad irony that often those societies where
there is most need for such care and education are precisely those
that lack the social, political and financial framework within
which necessary programmes can be implemented. This is why the
whole international community , rich nations as well as
poor, need to join together to cope with the problems related
to HIV infection.
While we cannot overestimate the value of education
programmes for the prevention and care of AIDS, on this World AIDS
Day, I would like to make a special appeal to the rich nations
of the world to commit more of their resources towards research
on finding a cure for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Please
do not think of working towards a cure for HIV as a "poor
country problem" but as a human concern. The gift of health and
life is the greatest gift that we can give to our fellow men.
I would like to conclude with a message for those who are
already suffering from AIDS. Please do not despair. There are many
in the world who feel with you and respect you for your courage
and fortitude. For those who are caring for AIDS sufferers, I
would simply like to express my deep admiration. My heart goes
out to both sufferers and carers in warm sympathy.
Aung San Suu Kyi
Rangoon, November 1998
Source: Alt-SEAN Network
.........................................................................
Sender
Dr. Khin Ni Ni Thein
WRTC
The Water, Research and Training Centre (WRTC) for a new Burma
is a non-governmental, non-profit, educational foundation working
for the Burmese peoples by promoting and improving their access
to research and training opportunities and education in the water
and rural sector in Burma and abroad.
P.O. Box 118, 2600 AC Delft, The Netherlands.
http://freeusers.digibel.be/~kanary/
http://wrtcburma.org
Tel. +31-15-2151814, Fax +31-15-214 39 22, E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
