Photo/Illutration Myanmar’s State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi attends Invest Myanmar in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, on Jan. 28, 2019. (REUTERS)

The hero of Truman Capote’s (1924-1984) 1958 novella “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” has a unique calling card posted on her apartment mailbox.

“Miss Holiday Golightly,” it reads. And instead of her address below, there is the single word: “Traveling.”

Her bohemian lifestyle fascinated a young Aung San Suu Kyi, now 77 and who was born in a corner of Southeast Asia, as she recalled in her book, “Letters from Burma.”

Living up to her ideal of not settling down in one place, Suu Kyi went to Britain to study, met her would-be husband and traveled broadly.

But her philosophy of life eventually changed, according to her book. She realized that living, itself, is a journey, rather than the other way around. Even during her 15 years of house arrest, she roamed the world in spirit. She recalled feeling she was “traveling” despite her captivity.

On Feb. 1 exactly two years ago, Myanmar’s military staged a coup. Suu Kyi, who had headed the nation’s democratic administration since 2016, was once again robbed of her freedom and was sentenced to a total of 33 years in prison.

More than 2,900 civilians have been killed under the oppressive junta, and about 13,000 are reportedly still in detention. The brutality leaves me speechless.

Amid the deteriorating security situation and the worsening economy, many young people who used to participate in protest rallies have lost hope and are leaving Myanmar.

“The ebullience with which Myanmar moved toward democracy is all gone now,” wrote an Asahi Shimbun correspondent.

Suu Kyi said every person who seeks peace is a “traveler in the desert being led by the star of salvation.”

The arduous journey of the people of Myanmar continues. As a fellow traveler, I will never forget that.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 1

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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