Burmese Leader, Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi, world famous Burmese human rights leader, was released from house arrest. International politicians and political groups are asking "What now?" I want to know first "How is her health?"

In September 1988 I was working 2 hours outside of Bangkok, Thailand, as a teacher's manual writer for the Experiment in International Living, a sister organization to Save the Children. My Burmese neighbor, Anne Marie Tresham, was working with a different refugee organization.

Every day since August the Thai English newspapers reported events in Burma including marches in the streets of Rangoon. I had been to Burma in 1987 and kept asking myself "How can people take it??" Half a year later, I received my answer. The pro Democracy marches began.

Anne Marie said "We have to do something, will you help?" We launched a fundraiser. Anne Marie knew of Aye Aye Thant, Bangkok resident and daughter of U Thant, former UN Secretary General who had a way of getting medical supplies into Burma. Save the Children generously gave us their office building to host a fair on September 10, 1988.

We raised the Thai baht equivalent of US $1,000 and ran off to Bangkok to present the check to Aye Aye Thant. Aye Aye Thant had arranged for a photographer from The Nation, one of Bangkok's English dailies, to be there. This was a great honor. It was September 11th.

On September 18th the National League for Democracy was formed. Aung Sang Sui Kyi was the General Secretary.

Anne Marie has lived in Perth, Australia for many years. I moved back to the U.S. in 1990. We have kept in touch. She emails her friends Burma updates.

When I first heard that Aung Sang Sui Kyi was to be released, I didn't want to get my hopes up. How moved I feel now.

For an excellent biography about Aung Sang Sui Kyi see
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/index.php/burma/about-burma/about-burma/a-biography-of-aung-san-suu-kyi

I donate to the US Campaign for Burma and feel in my small way, I helped to secure Aung San Suu Kyi's release.

More about my Burma trip in my upcoming book.

Who Learns From Whom?

NPR, National Public Radio had a fun report this morning about Dabbawallas in Mumbai who deliver home cooked meals to family members who commute to work. The Dabbawallas are extremely efficient and even though they do not read, they mark the different meals with colors and symbols so they know where to deliver what.

The Dabbawalls do not get paid much. They do not use computers. Forbes magazine
http://billionaires.forbes.com/article/00Hu7HFaHc71N
gave them a Six Sigma for their efficiency and correctness. The Six Sigma was established by the International Quality Federation in 1986. Motorola and GE are among the recipients of the Six Sigma.

Paul S. Goodman made a documentary about the Dabbawallas http://www.indianmba.com/faculty_column/fc592/fc592.html

I am especially tickled by this report because I realized very early on in my developing world travels that there is so much to be gained from people who supposedly should be learning from industrialized nations.