Freed Burmese comic set to stand up and deliver
Dissident Zarganar is heading stateside in an effort to convince Washington that the reforms being undertaken by the government represent real progress and that sanctions should be lifted
- Published: 25/12/2011 at 02:32 AM
- Newspaper section: Spectrum
Burma's most famous dissident comedian, who survived "electronic shock" torture during eight years in prison, has been allowed out of the country for the first time and is travelling to the Clinton Foundation in the US while requesting that US economic sanctions be lifted.
The satirical Maung Thura is popularly known by his stage name Zarganar - "Tweezers" in Burmese - and met US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her visit to Burma earlier this month.
"This is the dawning era of our country, this is the start of change," Zarganar said, describing Burma's new tentative shift from harsh military rule towards some civilian administration and fragile political freedom. "You should support us. Now improvement starts," the bald Zarganar, 50, said at a Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand news conference last Monday shortly after arriving from Burma.
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About the author
- Writer: Richard S Ehrlich
- Position: Writer
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