I still oppose "Visit Myanmar Year," and I would ask tourists to stay away. Burma is not going to run away. They should come back to Burma at a time when it is a democratic society where people are secure - where there is justice, where there is rule of law. They'll have a much better time. And they can travel around Burma with a clear conscience.

How can you call it a sacrifice when you choose to do something because you believe in it?

After all it was my father who founded the Burmese army and I do have a sense of warmth towards the Burmese army.

Some of the best indicators of a country developing along the right lines are healthy mothers giving birth to healthy children who are assured of good care and a sound education that will enable them to face the challenges of a changing world.

Every kindness I received, small or big, convinced me that there could never be enough of it in our world... Kindness can change the lives of people.

There is no hope without endeavor.

It is often in the name of cultural integrity as well as social stability and national security that democratic reforms based on human rights are resisted by authoritarian governments.