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354AUNG SAN SUU KYImachine. Historian and author Thant Myint-U also recalls dropping bythe Aris’ home in 1984: ‘Michael sat contentedly and quietly smokinghis pipe, their kids playing in the room nearby’ while Suu Kyi gave him‘polite and somewhat schoolmarmish’ advice on his educational options.‘In later years’, he writes, ‘I felt I had a sense of the happy life both sheand Michael had given up.’Pasternak Slater, like many others since, recognised Suu Kyi’s ‘courage,determination and abiding moral strength’, qualities that were alreadyin evidence in some of the 187 letters Suu Kyi wrote to Aris in the eightmonths before their marriage. In one she asks ‘…that should my peopleneed me, you would help me do my duty by them.’ That moment came inMarch 1988. Suu Kyi’s mother had suffered a stroke.Return to BurmaSuu Kyi immediately packed her bags to return to Yangon (Rangoon),and Aris had ‘a premonition that our lives would change would for ever’.Meanwhile there was growing turmoil in Burma as students and otherstook to the streets calling for a change of government. Back in Yangon,where injured protestors were brought to the same hospital her motherwas in, it was something Suu Kyi could not ignore, especially when politicalactivists flocked to her mother’s home on Inya Lake to seek hersupport.IN HER OWN WORDSOn 28 December 2010, Austin Bush, co-author of this guide, interviewed Aung San SuuKyi by phone.We’ve decided to use both names for our book, but which do you prefer, Myanmaror Burma? I prefer Burma because the name was changed without any reference to thewill of the people.You were previously opposed to foreign tourists visiting Myanmar, but appearto have softened this stance over the last few years. How do you feel now aboutforeign tourists visiting Myanmar? I think the NLD came to this decision about six orseven months ago. We are not in favour of group tourists, but don’t mind if individualscome to Burma. Foreign tourists could benefit Burma if they go about it in the right way,by using facilities that help ordinary people and avoiding facilities that have close linksto the government.Can foreign tourists do anything to benefit the move towards democracy inMyanmar? If they would like to meet people working for democracy, then it might help.Why are there so many areas restricted to tourists in Myanmar? Do you think thiswill change in the near future? I’m not quite sure. Along the border areas, it’s becausehostilities might break out again. It might have something to do with the fact that therearen’t enough facilities for tourists in remote areas.To many visitors, Yangon can appear as if it’s caught in a time warp. In your experienceas someone who grew up there, how has the city changed over the years? Ihaven’t noticed any great changes since I’ve been under house arrest. The changes I’venoticed are that there are many people using handphones, which I hadn’t seen sevenyears ago. But the streets and buildings appear the same.The museum dedicated to your father, located in his former home, appears to beclosed. Do you know why? I don’t think they want to encourage people to go there. Theydon’t want to remind people too much of my father. Officially they haven’t allowed portraitsof my father to be hung in government offices over the last decade, probably because ofthe association with me and also because of how my father regarded the role of the army.What’s your favourite part of the city? It’s been a long time since I’ve been able toexplore Yangon. Shwedagon is very important, and the Sule Pagoda, but I spend muchof my time at the NLD office.