As long as opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners are not allowed to participate in elections in Burma, there is no cause for great optimism about the future. Yet at the same time, isolating the country and its people will not bring reforms any closer. This observation was made by Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Verhagen at the presentation of Pictures of Burma, a collection of photographs.

‘In Burma, there is no freedom of expression, freedom of association or freedom of the press. There are thousands of political prisoners. We mustn’t turn our backs on the toiling populace, abused political prisoners and victims of the civil war,’ urged Mr Verhagen.

In Pictures of Burma, author and photographer Peter de Ruiter uses words and images to portray both the beauty and the misery of a country that has been under dictatorial rule for nearly 50 years. De Ruiter presented the minister with the first copies of the book, in both printed and electronic form.

The minister praised the book for giving a voice and a face to ordinary Burmese. ‘These voices and faces are vital to the struggle for human rights.’



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