Zarganar said: It is very important that we go abroad to get exposure. I noticed it myself when you meet Burmese people abroad you see self-confidence, security and freedom. You don’t see that in Burma, all you see is worry.
“So we are coming here to thank the people, like Amnesty, who did not forget us when we were prisoners and to concentrate on the helping our young people.
“We have to promote our country, we have to change if we are to compete with the rest of South East Asia. Education is very important.”
But he added change would also have to come from its own population. He said: “This is our responsibility and the accountability lies with our people. “The Burmese people have a good spirit and they want our country to go forward. but at the moment we have just a little bit of change in the politics. We also need to see changes in the economics, education and health. “But we have to do this altogether. Aung San Suu Kyi is only one woman, so all her people need to get behind her.” He added: “We have to be patient, we have to widen our chances and opportunities now that we have a little bit of light. We are in the dawn period, we have to go forward into the sunlight or we will go back into the dark.
He continued: "I would never have guessed the reaction we have received. Twenty-five years nobody knew about our country, no one was interested in our country and Aung San Suu Kyi was living in the UK like an ordinary housewife now she is like the light of the democracy in our country and every Government has invited her with warm open hearts.”
Zarganar was arrested four times for defying the regime "I was arrested four times and each time was different in each of the different prisons.
“Whatever we do next it must be for the younger generation. My vision is for 2020, which is when the next election will be held. There is another in 2015 but that will be a very close thing so all my hopes are on 2020.”