Asian_Geographic_Issue_4_2017

(John Hannent) #1

Hig HligHts


They’ve been saddled with


various labels, depending on who


has held the position of power at the


time: freedom fighter, revolutionist,


reformer, dissident, terrorist.


But the question of whether


they should be vilified or lionised


continues in some cases: Aung San


Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s national hero for


her tireless work towards democracy,


has come under fire recently for


her denial of the persecution of the


Rohingya. Having been denied proper


treatment for terminal cancer, Nobel


Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo passed


away on July 13, 2017. His death has


caused outrage in the international


community. The leading dissident


is still framed as “a criminal” in the


Chinese press, but for many others,


he remains a hero for campaigning for


Chinese democracy.


One could argue that this gives

traction to the cliche that “one man’s


terrorist is another man’s freedom


fighter”. But, to take the stance


of Jonah Goldberg in his book


The Tyranny of Cliches, “It is simply


absurd to contend that because


people may argue over who is or


is not a terrorist that it is therefore


impossible to make meaningful


distinctions between terrorists and


freedom fighters.”


Raising


the Bar


FROM VILLAIN TO HERO (AND


SOMETIMES BACK TO ANTI-
HERO), ASIA’S FAMOUS POLITICAL


PRISONERS HAVE PACKED A LOT
OF PUNCH IN TRANSFORMING THE


REGION’S DIPLOMATIC LANDSCAPE


MyanMar

Aung San Suu Kyi


r ussia

Andrei Sakharov


Any discussion about high
profile political prisoners in Asia
usually commences with “The
Lady”. The Nobel Peace Prize
winner spent 15 years under
house arrest. The daughter of the
former prime minister of British
Burma (who was assassinated),
she grew up in India, the US,
and England. Returning to Burma
in 1988 after years abroad, she
met political upheaval under
the ruthless dictator U Ne Win.
After speaking out against his
brutality, and actively advocating
for democracy and human rights,
she was placed under house
arrest in 1989 – and was arrested
repeatedly over the years. She
was finally released from house
arrest in November 2010. Five
years later, she led the National
League for Democracy (NLD) to a
majority win in Myanmar’s first
open election in 25 years.

Another political prisoner to win
the Nobel Peace Prize (1975),
the Soviet nuclear physicist was
imprisoned for his dissenting
views on the Soviet government.
He was involved in developing
the hydrogen bomb, and thus
became concerned about
the nuclear age. He voiced
his discontent with the arms
race, and wrote Reflections on
Progress, Peaceful Coexistence
and Intellectual Freedom in a bid
to end it. Due to his criticism of
Soviet political repression –
and international aggression –
he was exiled to Gorky in 1980,
and placed under surveillance
(where he was harassed by the
KGB), following his criticism of
the Soviet Union’s invasion of
Afghanistan. Mikhail Gorbachev
later released Sakharov, who was
subsequently appointed to the
Soviet Congress.

“Peace as a goal is an ideal which will not be
contested by any government or nation, not
even the most belligerent"

“Both now and for always, I intend
to hold fast to my belief in the hidden
strength of the human spirit"
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