Aung San Suu Kyi birthday surprise flash mob in Chiang Mai

By The Best Friend • June 20, 2011

This past weekend was significant for millions of Aung San Suu Kyi supporters all around the world, as 19 June 2011 was Daw Suu’s first birthday to be celebrated outside of house arrest in seven years. In Chiang Mai, Thailand, members of The Best Friend Library joined dozens of other activists from many other Burma-related organizations to perform in surprise ‘flash mobs’ in honor of Aung San Suu Kyi in busy locales across the city.

For those new to the concept, a flash mob is a group of people who assemble unannounced and seemingly randomly in a busy public place to perform an unusual act for a brief time before abruptly dispersing in all directions. In this case, the act was singing “Happy Birthday” to Daw Suu in unison three times while distributing postcards with information about Burma to on-lookers.

In order to build anticipation and maintain the surprise (and security) in Chiang Mai, only a few representatives from each organization knew the exact plans for Sunday’s events. Members of The Best Friend met at the library at 4 p.m. before making their way to MAP Foundation’s office, where all of the details were revealed and rehearsals took place.

All together, nearly 100 individuals of all ages and ethnicities took part, many sporting different t-shirts bearing Aung San Suu Kyi’s image, and several ready with Aung San Suu Kyi posters. The first site was the busy Arcade Bus Station, full of Thai and western travelers who were taken by surprise by the spontaneous performance at 5:30 p.m.

The second site was Chiang Mai’s famous Sunday Walking Street, where thousands of tourists and sellers congregate and pack the streets around the Three Kings Monument every week. At precisely 7 p.m., the second flash mob performance took place at the busiest intersection. Participants gave out postcards and discussed Burma with curious shoppers for an hour prior to singing.

A special postcard was created for the occasion in Chiang Mai, featuring a new drawing by famed Shan illustrator and political cartoonist Harn Lay. The drawing shows Aung San Suu Kyi celebrating her birthday morosely in front of a country locked behind bars. The back of the postcard carries the message: “Aung San Suu Kyi celebrates her 66th birthday on 19 June 2011. As we celebrate Daw Suu’s freedom for the first time in seven years, we remember that Burma still holds 2,061 political prisoners, and indeed 60 million citizens continue to struggle for their freedom.” The slogan “Be Part of Burma’s Freedom!” in Burmese, Thai, and English is followed by the website addresses of several local organizations offering additional information.

More than 3,000 of the postcards were distributed to members of the public before all of the flash mob participants dispersed for home, content in the knowledge that a unique and creative commemoration for Aung San Suu Kyi’s 66th birthday was successfully carried out!

See more photos here.