One thing that's different is that in South Africa, it was whites and blacks—white occupiers and black residents. This was the fight between them, right? But in Burma, we are fighting among Burmese. The Burmese military who rule the country are also Burmese. We are fighting against them, not foreigners. This is something different.
What I really admire about South Africa is its long journey to freedom. I really understand that international pressure successfully helped them to be free from the apartheid era. It was our dream. We've learned from the South African experience. We apply it in every way possible to our country's situation. But the international community is so divided in the case of Burma. Actually, in South Africa at an earlier stage, the international community was quite divided, but later they came to unite and put political pressure on the apartheid regime.
In Burma, still, the international community is quite divided. But they are wanting to see the success story, and Burma has been changing, so they want to take opportunity to assure the political success. That's why so many government leaders make so many historic visits to my country. Finally, I believe that historic visits can't do the historical mistake of untimely lifting of economic sanctions, which is our immediate leverage.
I really admire the South African movement, but unfortunately there is a lot of difference between our two countries.