Over 10 years have passed since Myanmar democracy activist Than Htay fled to Japan from his military-ruled motherland on May 26, 1990, the day before a general election whose results were nullified by the junta.
His life in Japan, however, has been a bitter experience because Japanese authorities refused to recognize him as a political refugee.
His anger at the Japanese government has been exacerbated since the United States granted him asylum status after his application last September, thus allowing him to become actively engaged in political activities in that country without fear of deportation.