“I escaped torture after being arrested because Aung San Suu Kyi personally intervened by meeting with the junta leadership and filing a missing person’s report on my behalf,” Iqbal tells me. While in Tharyarwaddy prison, he met with Professor Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the United Nation’s Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Violations in Burma, and gave evidence regarding torture within Burma’s prisons. This resulted in interrogation from intelligence officials by Pegu Division over comments he made about the allegations.
Upon being set free in November 2002, two years after Suu Kyi had been re-arrested by the junta and placed under house arrest, Iqbal became politically active again. He was assigned to Suu Kyi’s Social Standing Committee for the NLD, and at time the same time, collected data on the state of Burma’s prisons and assisted former and current political prisoners attain better access to health and education. In mid-July 2004, he was seriously advised to stop everything for his own good by intelligence officials, and at this point made the decision to leave the country.
After gaining financial assistance for food and clothing, Iqbal took a bus from Rangoon to Myawaddy, where a local guide helped him get across the river to Mae Sot, Thailand. Eventually he entered the Mae La refugee camp, where he remained for four years. The camp houses more than 40,000 refugees from Burma, mainly ethnic Karen people. The Thai army runs the camp, but it is administered by the Karen National Union (KNU)
Iqbal today
Since arriving in Australia in 2008, Iqbal now works closely with supporters of the NLD Party living in the country, but does not have an official role. He is a representative of the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners Burma, providing support for political prisoners and their families. But he is concerned about possible repercussions against his sisters who are in refugee camps in Thailand.
Surviving torture as a political prisoner leaves Iqbal convinced that everybody has the right to stand up to their aggressors and attackers when meeting outside of their comfortable environment. This brings everyone onto a level playing field. “Following my release from prison in 1993, I spoke to the generals who ran the prison where I was incarcerated. I met them inside a tea shop,” Iqbal says, then looks me in the eye. When I query him as to whether he was frightened to approach them, he shakes his head.
“I declared, ‘We do what we believe in. You did terrible things to us. If we want to get revenge, we can do it easily. But we do not want to do that. The bruises you inflicted are not there anymore, but the scars will remain with us forever.'” It is this defiance that is nurtured by survival from an environment of war and its aftermath, and Iqbal explains to me that when authority members in Burma stick together in numbers, they feel invincible. But as individuals on the street, they are frightened.
Our conversation inevitably focuses on Aung San Suu Kyi, the politician he protected for many years.
“There is one incident that will always remind me of how special she is,” Iqbal relates. “It was Thingyan (Burma New Year) celebrations in 2006 at Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s residence. The military junta had blocked off the house and street to prevent everybody from leaving the (NLD) compound. Many soldiers were in front of the residence, including the divisional commander. We were all about to leave the front gate. The military commander, along with his soldiers ordered us not to attempt to leave the residence. But Aung San Suu Kyi simply walked out the gate, ignored the soldiers, and continued to walk on without looking back. I was amazed at this show of resilience.”
It is this act of defiance that is written about in books and recorded in documentaries, but very few individuals have the distinct honor of witnessing it in person.
Iqbal continues, “Later that evening, I asked her, ‘Auntie (a term of respect), why didn’t you look back when they were out to stop you?'”
Her response was, “When they call out your name, you don’t look back. You do what you have to do. A soldier might shoot at you, but looking back will make you feel something. That feeling may cause you to lose sight of your ultimate goal.”
Aung San Suu Kyi’s endless courage provides Iqbal with the inspiration to spend his life working to see Burma achieve a genuine democracy that its civilians have prayed and paid the ultimate sacrifice for.
“Since I know injustice takes place in Burma every day, I know that I am safe in Australia, but I cannot forget what has happened to me. The pre-condition of having all political prisoners released before any democratic election taking place in Burma in 2010 is very important. No votes in Burma can be cast freely and fairly before then. Until that day arrives, I can never be at peace.”
