Many alumni donate money to the university from which they graduate. However, UW-Madison alumnus Dr. Salui Tun Than has been donating something else to the world community-himself. He has been fighting for basic human rights in his homeland of Burma.
Sometime within the last day Than began a hunger strike in prison where he is currently serving a seven-year sentence.
\Now it has become much more media because at the age of 75 there's a question of how long he can last without food, considering his already deteriorating health,"" said Kimberly Jacobson, president of the Burma Refugee Relief Coalition at UW-Milwaukee.
Some 1,400 persons have become political prisoners in Burma, including Than, who was arrested after his solo protest in front of Rangoon City Hall, where he donned an academic cap and gown to show his desire for freedom of education.
""It's not just any case because he's one of Burma's most prominent political prisoners,"" said Jeremy Woodrum, director of the Free Burma Coalition offices in Washington D.C. ""These aren't criminals. They are men who, [for example], wrote a poem about democracy.""
Than is fighting for better treatment for his fellow prisoners. His cell is without a bathroom and when he asks to read the Bible given to him by his family, he is denied. In fact, his family can only visit him twice a month for 15 minutes each time.
""Imagine a student here going back to his or her respective country and being treated like this,"" said Sonali Saluja, coordinator of Amnesty International at UW-Madison and a UW-Madison junior. ""I think this illustrates how human rights really hit close to home.""
For this reason, groups in Milwaukee and Madison are working to free Than and to raise awareness of the problems in Burma. According to Saluja, Amnesty International has written letters to both the United States and Burmese governments.
""I think it's incredibly important for students to know what's going on in the world in general and also to know that alumni are good for more than dollars, that they are making an incredible stand on issues,"" Jacobson said.
Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., has made a statement expressing his concern for the doctor and criticizing the regime in Burma. Additionally, President Bush made a statement commending Burma's democracy movement the day before Than began his strike.
""It's important for members of Wisconsin's [government] to speak out on his behalf,"" Woodrum said. ""I think the only thing the Burmese government responds to is pressure.\
