President Trump, From Malaysia’s Shores: Ignite Myanmar’s Revolution of the Spirit – Free Aung San Suu Kyi Now

Alan Clements

As President Donald Trump steps onto Malaysian soil today, October 24, 2025, for the ASEAN Summit — a rare visit that spotlights Southeast Asia’s delicate dance between great powers — the world watches. Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim navigates this balancing act with skill, but the real test lies not just in trade deals or territorial disputes. It lies in the shadow cast by neighboring Myanmar, where a brutal military junta clings to power, extinguishing lives and hopes in equal measure.

Mr. President, you arrive as a dealmaker, a patriot who champions “America First” with unyielding resolve. You’ve brokered ceasefires, challenged China’s grip on resources, and positioned the United States as a force for strategic advantage. Now, in this pivotal moment, I implore you: use your voice to demand the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s imprisoned Nobel Peace Laureate, and all political prisoners. Her life hangs by a thread — gravely ill with worsening heart disease after five years in solitary confinement. To speak out now is not just an act of compassion; it is a masterstroke of American leadership that could reshape the region, counter Beijing’s influence, and secure vital economic wins for the U.S.

I write not as a distant observer but as one who has lived Myanmar’s soul. Ordained as a Buddhist monk in Yangon decades ago, I immersed myself in the country’s ancient Vipassan? meditation traditions — the insight that pierces illusion to reveal truth. Later, as an investigative journalist, I documented the regime’s atrocities until they expelled and blacklisted me. I co-authored The Voice of Hope with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, capturing her unshakeable commitment to non-violent democracy. I’ve shared quiet conversations with her after her first house arrest, witnessed her laughter amid despair, and heard her plea: “Use your freedom to support ours.” Those words, spoken in 1995, echo louder today as she wastes away in a windowless cell, denied proper medical care — no MRIs, no cardiologists, just the junta’s calculated neglect that amounts to murder by indifference.

The crisis in Myanmar is a moral abyss. Daw Suu Kyi, now 80, has sacrificed over 20 years to imprisonment across four detentions, her only “crime” being the moral authority that terrifies generals. Her son, Kim Aris, recently confided the anguish: severe chest pains, uncertainty if she even lives. Myanmar’s prisons hold over 22,000 prisoners of conscience — artists, monks, teachers, grandmothers — tortured, executed, or vanished since the 2021 coup. Villages burn, three million are displaced, and the Rohingya remain homeless ghosts. Mr. President, you’ve spoken of strength and protection for the vulnerable. What greater strength than to champion a woman who embodies resilience, a laureate whose spirit refuses to break?

Strategically, this is your arena. Myanmar’s junta cozies up to China, granting Beijing dominance over rare earth minerals — those critical elements powering U.S. tech, defense, and electric vehicles. Your administration has wisely explored deals to pry these resources away, easing sanctions after junta leader Min Aung Hlaing’s fawning letter praising your “strong leadership.” But true access demands stability, not a regime propped on bayonets.

Releasing Daw Suu Kyi would signal a pivot toward democracy, weakening China’s hold and aligning Myanmar with American interests. Imagine brokering her freedom as part of a grand bargain — a ceasefire in the civil war, inclusive elections, and U.S.-friendly resource pacts. You’ve done it before, from the Middle East to Southeast Asia’s borders. Why not here, where it counters Beijing directly?