The son of political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi has launched a bid to collect a world-record 80,000 messages from around the world to honour her 80th birthday.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Ms Suu Kyi faces 27 years in jail, with the democratically elected leader of Myanmar having been imprisoned during a military coup in 2021.
As well as asking for people to upload voice or video messages for Ms Suu Kyi’s birthday on 19, Kim Aris is also asking the public to sign an e-birthday card which will help raise money for humanitarian aid for Mayanmar. The messages will also be stored on a disk until Mr Aris can hand it to his mother in person.
In a video message, her son, Mr Aris, said: “The Suu 80 Birthday Wishes campaign offers a simple and secure way for individuals worldwide to upload a birthday wish honouring [Ms Suu Kyi’s] 80th birthday.
“Everyone can upload a birthday wish, free of charge.
“[Ms Suu Kyi] has devoted her life to democracy and human rights, spending a quarter of it in prison or house arrest due to her unwavering compassion for her people and singular vision for a democratic and free Burma [Myanmar]…I encourage everyone to upload a birthday message in her honour.
“A seemingly small gesture that carries profound significance. As a lasting expression of our collective solidarity.” The campaign is open from 4 to 19 June.
Ms Suu Kyi raised her two children, Kim and his brother Alexander, in the UK after studying at Oxford and marrying a British academic Michael Aris. She returned to Myanmar in 1988, initially to nurse her sick mother before becoming caught up in the pro-democracy movement in the country.
She spent nearly 15 of the 21 years between 1989 to 2010 under house arrest, when her fight for democracy became famous across the world. In 2015 the junta allowed Ms Suu Kyi to become the de facto head of Myanmar following elections, but only if they controlled key ministries, including home affairs and defence, as well as the military budget. In 2019 she appeared at the International Court of Justice in The Hague to defend her country’s use of force against the Rohingya, which brought criticism from human rights groups and the international community.
In 2021, she was imprisoned after the military seized power in a coup which plunged the country into conflict.
Earlier this month, a report was released highlighting the plight of Ms Suu Kyi and 22,000 other political prisoners, as well as detailing violence in the country – including army airstrikes and ground attacks against civilians, as well as massacres, beheadings, executions, rapes and tortures.
Earlier this year, Independent TV released the Cancelled: The Rise and Fall of Aung San Suu Kyi. The film triggered calls from three former foreign secretaries, William Hague, Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Jack Straw, for her to be freed following her arrest on “trumped up” charges.
The birthday message collection and card for Ms Suu Kyi is part of a wider campaign, under the banner: “For her we can, For Myanmar we must.”
Mr Aris will also run 80 kilometres, 10 kilometres daily for eight consecutive days, to commemorate his mother’s birthday in tribute to what he calls “her quiet strength, and her enduring spirit”. The run will take place from 12 to 19 June and will also be raising funds for Myanmar.
Mr Aris is also encouraging people to take on their own personal challenges around the number 80 or eight. People of all ages have already taken on things like completing 80 acts of kindness, love, or remembrance, giving 80 flowers or donating 80 food parcels or 80 books for schools.
More information about the Suu 80 birthday campaign can be found here
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