In Burma, we need to improve education in the country - not only primary education, but secondary and tertiary education. Our education system is very very bad. But, of course, if you look at primary education, we have to think in terms of early childhood development that's going back to before the child is born - making sure the mother is well nourished and the child is properly nurtured.

Once serious political dialogue has begun, the international community can assume that we have achieved genuine progress along the road to real democratisation.

What we are lacking in Burma is an independence effective judiciary, and unless we have all three of the democratic institutions - strong and healthy, we cannot say that our democratic processes (is complete).

Fundamental violations of human rights always lead to people feeling less and less human.

Lasting solutions are always difficult to come to. But they will have to persevere. I've been repeating ad nauseam that we in Burma we are weak with regard to the culture of negotiated compromises, that we have to develop the ability to achieve such compromises.

The important thing is fear should not control your actions. It should not dictate what you do.

I've always been strongly on the side of non-violence. Also, I think that if you use the wrong means, the ends themselves get distorted.