Mr. Book, Hsipaw, Myanmar

On my travels around town I came across several notorious characters. Mr Book is famous not for running his bookshop, but for speaking out against the corrupt Burmese government. The more time we've spent in Burma the more we've read about it's terrible history. The country is sadly reknowned for its military dictatorship and brutal repression of human rights: slave labour and devaluing their currency, to name a few. You may or may not be familiar with the name of Aung San Suu Kyi - this lady fought for a democratic government for several years. Apparently, although many Burmese may be a little disillusioned with her Party (apparently, she wasn't forceful enough in asserting her right to govern), there is little doubt that had she come to power many years ago, then the people of Myanmar would at least be living less brutal and repressed lives. Mr Book dedicates a lot of his time petitioning governments around the world to become aware of Burma's problem. He is a compassionate man and is very active in the community always helping families, donating school books and pens etc. I felt very honoured to have met him and hope our stories here help to further this country's cause.

Another extraordinary character I met was an Australian lady called Maureen. She has been in Myanmar for several years and married a local upstanding man in Hsipaw. He was apparently a highly influential man in the community and without reason was arrested and jailed. She is still awaiting his return. Throughout our travels in Myanmar we hear many stories like this of how the goverment treats their people so atrociously. It's heart breaking and makes us ever more eager to support the local people and tell the world of their plight. *Mush