Who is John Yettaw?

In the past few days, authorities in Burma have brought a new case against the activist leader Aung San Suu KyiAung San Suu Kyi, on the flimsy basis of a visit to her house by an American man named John Yettaw. The charge is that by meeting Mr. Yettaw, Ms. Suu Kyi violated the terms of her house arrest, but most of her supporters say the charge is a trumped up falsehood designed to keep Ms. Suu Kyi from contesting elections next year. She was scheduled for release from house arrest later this year at the completion of a 6 year sentence. Mr. Yettaw's actions have infuriated her supporters who say do-gooder wannabes like him actually aggravate the situation in Burma and are counter productive.

John Yettaw is a former Vietnam vet, 53 years old, from Falcon Missouri. His neighbours variously describe him as an intelligent conversationalist and an alcoholic suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Mr.Yettaw could also be plain weird, which is what one might call someone who strapped on a pair of homemade flippers and swam over one mile across a lake to see Ms. Suu Kyi. Apparently he tried the same thing last year but the authorities stopped him before he got to the house, which is one of the most well guarded places in Myanmar. This time he managed to sneak in and spend two nights in the house before being caught while trying to swim away. He was apparently allowed in after telling Ms.Suu Kyi that he was just plain exhausted. The circumstances of his capture lead some to believe he was allowed to sneak in so that the government would have an excuse to throw the book at Ms. Suu Kyi, again. Yet again the Myanmar government is looking for a way to stay in power.

Ms.Suu Kyi's trial started yesterday at the infamous Insein prison in Yangon. No outside observers were allowed. The ambassadors of Britain, France, Germany and the U.S. all attempted visits but were denied. That this is a gross miscarriage of justice, or a farce, is not beyond anyone's imagination, in fact it is highly likely. Ms. Suu Kyi will probably bear it with the same quiet fortitude she has borne 13 years of house arrest. It is hard to imagine her doing anything else. That such injustice exists in the world is not surprising perhaps, but it is frightening. Martin Luther King said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Given the rampant injustice of so many crimes in the world, it is stories of the spirit like Ms. Suu Kyi's that give us hope. This is one story that might have a happy ending, since Mr. Yettaw's actions have brought focus again to bear on the plight of Myanmar and her people. Let us hope is naivete bears a wholesome fruit.