Aung San, the pillar of the struggle for Burmese independence and immensely popular during those most turbulent years, is probably proudly watching the equally impressive career of his daughter, Aung San Suu Kyi, from above. The latter's fame has to some extent overshadowed her father's legend, which makes this biography precious in many ways.
Published by Silkworm Books, a Chiang Mai publisher specializing in Southeast Asian topics, "Aung San and the Struggle for Burmese Independence" is an impressive scholarly study based on meticulous research of mainly Burmese sources. As the title suggests, author Angelene Naw focuses largely on Aung San's involvement in the dual struggle for independence, from both the Japanese and the British, and touches only briefly on the subject's private life.
Assassinated at the age of 32 by political rivals, Aung San was a man of integrity, intensity and single-minded dedication to the goal of independence for Burma. He commanded general respect not only within the Burmese community, but also within every other ethnic minority. In the words of the author, he was "the only leader in modern Burmese history to forge a peaceful and voluntary unity among the different ethnic groups." Combining realism with moderation, projecting the benefits of unity, he urged every group to come together: "We will have our differences, but, to take one example, if we are threatened with external aggression, we must fight back together. . . ." Had he lived longer, the next chapters of Burmese history might have been very different.
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