Terry Cottam embodied unrelenting principaled determination in his modest, brillant and unassuming but towering figure and personality. His sense of human and wit, and steadfast pioneering attachment to the cause of Free Burma inspired others, including myself, that the movement has a living diversity to which is must be firmly dedicated to be real. The Free Burma Coalition brought us together like two passing ships at sea. We flashed lights and both went on our way, separated but united by wide ocean of committment and single-minded loyalty to the cause of freedom and democracy for the people of Burma against the junta and unchecked illegal exploitation of the country. From the other side of the Atlantic I worked with him on the PepsiCo movement and thank him now once again for helping to show the way that what we do is not only right and correct, but brings results.
He knocked down the lies and haughty posture of a billion company and in his way cut through the glitz and glamour of the lies in PepsiCo publicity and the arrogance of cutting a deal with the dictatorship. We lost a valuable man, a man who wore his battle scars privately with indifference to the personal sacrifice of his work.
May his memory be a binding reminder of what we can do together, and what he wanted us to do and to keep doing, in each and every way, no matter how small it may seem to be, or how large and ambitious, that all of us and all of our work denouncing the lies and hypocricy, cutting out the falseness and ignorance of what seeks to betray and undermine cannot and will not succeed. Terry Cottam knew that well enough to give and share his life with the cause of Free Burma. There are many who will say that one single man cannot move the world. Terry Cottam knew that this was not so. And this is what he did. And he shook the world and made it a better place for all of us. Thank you Terry. Large or small there never was a better man. We do not and will not forget how you touched many of us and how we will carry on your work. So as you go in peace, we stay for now, and fare thee well.
And thank you for sharing your life with the Free Burma Coalition Movement.