"We are confident that change will come -- not as quickly as most of us would wish it to come -- but it will come. And I think the more we all try to make change come instead of wondering when change will come, the quicker it will come."
That was the message that Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy, or NLD, conveyed to the people after she visited Shan state. In just over a year since her release from 19 months of house arrest, she has visited six states. Although the audiences that welcomed her were larger than expected, her opponent, the country's military regime, escalated its harassment of her.
During Suu Kyi's recent visit to Kachin state, the regime sent militias wielding bamboo batons and slingshots to cause disruptions. Nonetheless, the trip was an overwhelming success for Suu Kyi and a blow for the regime -- which managed only to further tarnish its reputation.