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BURMA PROTEST IN DECATUR: Pictured on the sign is Aung San Suu Kyi, the imprisoned leader of Burma’s democracy movement.

I accidentally joined a street protest in downtown Decatur on Saturday morning. I say “accidentally” because when I approached the protest to photograph it, a lovely Burmese schoolgirl greeted me with a smile and handed me a protest poster. I couldn’t resist. And really, I didn’t want to. The protest was intended to draw American public attention to the Burmese military dictatorship’s crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators in Burma. The protest was organized by the girl’s parents, who fled Burma after a similar military crackdown in 1988.

One Burmese man in the protest who barely spoke English told me he’s only been in the U.S. for four weeks. “Did you flee because you protested against the military?” I asked.

“No. Army come my village. Make fire. We leave.”

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Tags: Burma, Decatur, Fallout, protest.