One World / People in Need Foundation, Prague, Czech Republic.

1- Vaclav Havel and Nobel Laureates Call For Release of Imprisoned Burmese Writers,

    PEN International,

    London and Prague, embargoed until April 14, 2004.

2- ONE WORLD - International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival

    15th April - 22nd April, 2004, Prague, Czech Republic.

   

    Organized by the People in Need

    Held under the auspices of Vaclav Havel, Minister of Culture Pavel Dostal and the Lord Mayer of Prague Pavel Bem.

3- DRAFT SPEECH FOR U AUNG KO FOR PRAGUE BURMESE WRITERS APPEAL APRIL 14, (OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE, USA).

    GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS AUNG KO. I AM VERY HONORED TO BE HERE WITH YOUR FORMER PRESIDENT THE ESTEEMED MR. VACLAV HAVEL, WHO HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST STALWART SUPPORTERS OF THE BURMESE DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT. MOST OF YOU MAY NOT KNOW THAT IN 1991 PRESIDENT HAVEL WAS FAVORITE FOR THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE. HOWEVER, HE WITHDREW HIS NOMINATION AND FRANKLY TOLD THE COMMITTEE THAT THE CZECHS ALREADY HAD THEIR FREEDOM BUT THE BURMESE DID NOT. AND SO IT WAS DUE TO MR. HAVEL'S SELFLESSNESS THAT DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI RECEIVED THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE IN 1991.

DAW SUU'S NOBEL PRIZE HAS HELPED KEEP THE FOCUS-----MUCH AS THIS EVENT TONIGHT HAS-----ON A STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM IN BURMA THAT YOU ALL CAN RELATE TO.

4- "Le perfum peut se répandre au loin, mais la.....renommée peut s'étendre au loin même contre le vent" ;

    " The scent can be wafted abroad, but the.....fame can be spread abroad even against the wind".

      After giving a salute and introducing himself to the President,

                                   

                                               Aung Ko

Mr. President, this after-noon, I went out to look for a post-card with your photo in order to ask you for an autograph.

At last, I found this one in a book shop. I was very happy. But I saw no name on it and I said to the lady in the book shop :

"there is no name of the person on the post-card".

                                    The Lady

Oh! Yes, of-course, there is no name on the picture, because everybody knows him, that's why !

                                    Mr. President

He laughs, holding the post-card and looking at the picture before writing his name on it.

And, for his Personal Assistant, Phew ! Ouf ! Now only he can laugh, too.

                                   Aung Ko

                      Thank you very much, indeed, Mr. President.

                                  Mr. President

Please tell Madam Aung San Suu Kyi, directly or indirectly, that I'll never forget her and her political struggle for the people of Burma.

I'll continue to do as much as I can for her own freedom and  for the freedom of the people of Burma, as well.

                                 

                                  Aung Ko 

Yes sir, she'll hear your message in one way or another on the Burmese radio news broadcasting from outside of the country.