James Mawdsley has written an extraordinary account of his efforts to help the peoples of Burma to move toward a free and democratic state, "The Iron Road". Mawdsley's story is one of struggle, suffering and commitment. His sacrifices go beyond those that the average Westerner would be willing to make. Yet his actions have all been a result of an effort to live up to his own high ideals and convictions.

Three times Mr. Mawdsley entered Burma; each time he challenged a regime noted for repression by publicly proclaiming his desire that the universities be opened and that the society move toward freedom. For his troubles, the Burmese government has imprisoned and tortured this brave young man. "The Iron Road" is at once an autobiography of James Mawdsley and a record of his confrontations with the Burmese Establishment.

Mr. Mawdsley has a fluid, graphic style that grips the reader. We cannot help being compelled especially by his account of the time he spent in solitary confinement in a Burmese prison for shouting, "Freedom!" in a market square. The story is filled with grimy details of torture, bureaucratic incompetence, inspiring sacrifice, infinite devotion and even comic relief.

Though the book often reads like high-adventure, it is really about the deadly serious struggle between the forces of freedom and the forces of totalitarianism. The current military regime has been in power since the 1960s. In 1988 it ruthlessly suppressed a protest movement that came to life in its capital of Rangoon. Thousands of protesters were killed, mowed down in the streets my machine gun fire. The Universities were seen by the ruling junta as a hotbed of rebellion so they were completely closed down.

The Universities have remained closed ever since. It seems curious that a government ruling a population of over 40 million would be so afraid of its own people that it would even refuse to educate them. It is doubly strange because this policy all but dooms Burma to be a backwater of Southeast Asia. Without higher education there can be no professional class, no technological class, no economic advancement, and perhaps no dissent.

Fighting on the borders has been ongoing for years with various ethnic groups, joined by the students who were part of the 1988 movement. The ethnic groups are fighting for equal treatment, a voice in government and even independence. In 1990 a general election took place. The NLD was voted into power with an overwhelming 83% of the vote. The junta refused to allow the new government to sit. The junta remains and uses repressive means to maintain its power. Its practices include using ethnic groups as unpaid porters (for the army in its fight against insurgent groups) and using villagers as "mine detectors" (probing for land mines with a stick!); and, of course, prison and torture are common punishment for the exercise of free speech.

Burma is a beautiful country situated north-west of Thailand, east of India and just South of China. Bangladesh and Laos are also on its borders. Its modern history, since the 1700s has been closely intertwined with drug trade out of what has been infamously dubbed, "The Golden Triangle." Mr. Mawdsley mentions the drug trade only in passing. For him it is a minor factor in the higher struggle between good and evil. He does not mention that trade in cocaine and heroin supplies much of the money that fuels the armies on both sides of this civil war. This fact may tend to color our view of Burma; yet, as in most armed struggles, expediency seems to be the rule for both sides.

An objective view of the entire situation will put most thoughtful people on the side of those working for freedom. Nevertheless, "The Iron Road" is not objective. It is passionately pro-democracy, pro-freedom and written by a man who has sacrificed much in the cause of freedom. But with the passion, and the exciting story comes information, vital information about Burma, its people and their struggle.

What can we do to help the Burmese? I would not necessarily recommend following in Mr. Mawdsley's footsteps to shout about freedom in the streets of Burma, but reading this book is the obvious first step. A higher awareness of repression inevitably brings on its destruction. For bringing the light of truth to the dark corners of the third world makes those perpetrating evil cringe, and when they do, it gives the people themselves the opportunity to take control of their own destiny. *****

This book can be purchased at Amazon.com.