In late November 2013, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi made her first
visit to Australia, much to the delight of the Burmese community in Australia. For
many of my Burmese friends there, this is a reunion that has been long awaited.
One of my former neighbours, Ko Aibar, was recently interviewed by the ABC
about his experience as a bodyguard for Daw Suu, his participation in the democracy
struggle, and his life since moving to Australia, including the establishment by friends of the Free Burma cafe. [the ABC video can be viewed here]
I first met Ko Aibar in 2009 when he arrived in
Melbourne through Australia’s humanitarian refugee program, from Thailand-Burma
border. I knew little of his background until one day when I was invited to his
daughter’s birthday party. As I sat in his home eating mohinga (a popular Burmese
noodle dish with fish), his wife brought out a photo album of their wedding. I
was surprised to find among the photos a picture of Ko Aibar and his wife with Daw
Suu, who had attended his wedding. From there, I learnt of his involvement with
the National League for Democracy in the 1990s, his time in prison for his
political activity, and his later journey to Thailand and his work with the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
