Aung San Suu Kyi
Learn more about Aung San Suu Kyi
| Aung San Suu Kyi | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 19 1945 Rangoon (Yangon), Burma |
Aung San Suu Kyi (Burmese: Image:AungSanSuuKyi1.png; MLCTS: aung hcan: cu. krany; IPA: [àuɴ sʰáɴ sṵ tʃì]); born 19 June 1945 in Yangon (Rangoon), is a nonviolent pro-democracy activist and leader of the National League for Democracy in Myanmar (Burma), and a noted prisoner of conscience. A devout Buddhist, Suu Kyi won the Rafto Prize and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990 and in 1991 was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her peaceful and non-violent struggle under a repressive military dictatorship.
Contents |
[edit] Personal life
| Myanmar |
| Image:Myanmar COA.gif This article is part of the series: |
|
|
|
Other countries • Politics Portal |
Aung San Suu Kyi was born on 19 June 1945. Her father, Aung San, negotiated Burma's independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, and was assassinated by his rivals in the same year. She lived with her mother, Khin Kyi, and two brothers, Aung San Lin and Aung San U, in Rangoon. Aung San Lin drowned in a pool accident when Suu Kyi was eight. Suu Kyi was educated in English Catholic schools for much of her childhood in Burma.
Khin Kyi gained prominence as a political figure in the newly-formed Burmese government. Khin Kyi was appointed as Burmese ambassador to India in 1960, and Aung San Suu Kyi followed her there, graduating from Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi in 1964.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
She continued her education at St Hugh's College, Oxford, obtaining a B.A. degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics in 1967. After graduation she continued her education in New York, and worked for the United Nations. In 1972, Aung San Suu Kyi married Michael Aris, a scholar of Tibetan culture, living abroad in Bhutan. The following year she gave birth to her first son, Alexander, in London; and in 1977 she had her second child, Kim.
[edit] Political beginnings
Aung San Suu Kyi returned to Myanmar in 1988 to take care of her ailing mother. In that year, the long-time leader of the socialist ruling party, General Ne Win, stepped down, leading to mass demonstrations for democratisation, which were violently suppressed. A new military junta took power.
Heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence, Aung San Suu Kyi entered politics to work for democratisation, helped found the National League for Democracy on 27 September 1988, and was put under house arrest on 20 July 1989. She was offered freedom if she would leave the country, but she refused.
One of her most famous speeches is the "Freedom From Fear" speech, which begins:
| It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it. |
[edit] Detention in Myanmar
In 1990, the military junta called general elections, which the National League for Democracy won decisively. Under normal circumstances, she would have assumed the office of Prime Minister.[citation needed] Instead the results were nullified, and the military refused to hand over power. This resulted in an international outcry and partly led to Aung San Suu Kyi's winning the Sakharov Prize that year and the Nobel Peace Prize the following year in 1991. Her sons Alexander and Kim accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf. Alexander's acceptance speech is linked in the External links section of this document. Aung San Suu Kyi used the Nobel Peace Prize's 1.3 million USD prize money to establish a health and education trust for the Burmese people.
She was released from house arrest in July 1995, although it was made clear that if she left the country to visit her family in the United Kingdom, she would be denied re-entry. When her husband Michael Aris, a British citizen, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997, the Burmese government denied him an entry visa. Aung San Suu Kyi remained in Burma, and never again saw her husband, who died in March 1999. She remains separated from their children, who remain in the United Kingdom.<ref>"Obituary: A courageous and patient man", BBC News, 1999-03-27. Retrieved on 2006-07-04.</ref>
She was repeatedly prevented from meeting with her party supporters, and in September 2000 was again put under house arrest. On 6 May 2002, following secret confidence-building negotiations led by the United Nations, she was released; a government spokesman said that she was free to move "because we are confident that we can trust each other". Aung San Suu Kyi proclaimed "a new dawn for the country". However on 30 May 2003, her caravan was attacked in the northern village of Depayin by a government-sponsored mob, murdering and wounding many of her supporters. Aung San Suu Kyi fled the scene with the help of her driver, Ko Kyaw Soe Lin, but was arrested upon reaching Ye-U. She was imprisoned at Insein Prison in Yangon. After undergoing a hysterectomy in September 2003<ref>"Suu Kyi has 'major' operation", BBC News, 2003-09-19. Retrieved on 2006-07-04.</ref>, she was again placed under house arrest in Yangon.
In March 2004, Razali Ismail, UN special envoy to Myanmar, met with Aung San Suu Kyi. Ismail resigned from his post the following year, partly because he was denied re-entry to Myanmar on several occasions.<ref>"Annan expresses sadness for the resignation of his envoy for Burma", Democratic Voice of Burma, 2006-01-10. Retrieved on 2006-07-04.</ref>
On 28 May 2004, the United Nations Working Group for Arbitrary Detention rendered an Opinion (No. 9 of 2004) that her deprivation of liberty was arbitrary, as being in contravention of Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948, and requested that the authorities in Burma set her free, but the authorities have so far ignored this request.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On 28 November 2005, the National League for Democracy confirmed that Suu Kyi's house arrest would be extended for yet another year. Many western countries, as well as the United Nations, have expressed their disapproval of this latest extension.
On 20 May 2006, Ibrahim Gambari, UN Undersecretary-General (USG) of Deparment of Political Affairs, met with Aung San Suu Kyi, the first visit by a foreign official since 2004.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Suu Kyi's house arrest term was set to expire 27 May 2006, but the Burmese government extended it for another year,<ref>"Burma extends Suu Kyi detention", Bangkok Post, 2006, May 27.</ref> flouting a direct appeal from U.N. General Secretary Kofi Annan to Than Shwe. Suu Kyi continues to be imprisoned under the 1975 State Protection Act (Article 10 b), which grants the government the power to imprison persons for up to five years without a trial.<ref>The Irrawaddy. "Opposition Condemns Extension of Suu Kyi’s Detention", The Irrawaddy, 2006-05-27. Retrieved on 2006-05-27.</ref>
On 9 June 2006, Suu Kyi was hospitalised with severe diarrhea and weakness, as reported by a UN representative for National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma.<ref>Wadhams, Nick. "Myanmar's Suu Kyi Hospitalized", The Associated Press, Washington Post, 2006-06-09. Retrieved on 2006-06-09.</ref> Such claims were rejected by Major-General Khin Yi, the national police chief of Myanmar.
On 11 November 2006, USG Gambari, who was undertaking a mission to Myanmar for four days to encourage greater respect for human rights there, met with Suu Kyi. According to Gambari, Suu Kyi seems in good health but she wishes to meet her doctor more regularly. [1].
[edit] International supporters
[edit] Nations
On December 2, 2004, the United States pressured the Myanmar government to release Aung San Suu Kyi after the announcement that her house arrest would be extended.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On June 17, 2005, there were protests outside Burmese embassies in several countries in recognition of Suu Kyi's 60th birthday, which took place on June 19, 2005. The protests received international attention.
In late November 2005, the United States again returned to diplomatic pressure, this time in the United Nations Security Council, strongly urging multilateral action to address the "deteriorating situation" in Myanmar, requesting to put it into the official agenda docket. This action was due largely to a reinstatement of Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest, an extension of precisely one year. In September 2006, the United Nations Security Council voted to place Myanmar on the council's agenda.
[edit] Organizations
Aung San Suu Kyi has been an honorary board member of International IDEA and ARTICLE 19 since her detention, and has received support from these organisations.
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel, located in Belgium, has granted her the title of Doctor Honoris Causa.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In June of each year, the US Campaign for Burma organizes hundreds of "Arrest Yourself" house parties around the world in support of Aung San Suu Kyi. At these parties, the organizers keep themselves under house arrest for 24 hours, invite their friends, and learn more about Burma and Aung San Suu Kyi. <ref>"Arrest Yourself", US Campaign for Burma. Retrieved on 2006-07-04.</ref>
The Freedom Campaign, a joint effort between the Human Rights Action Center and US Campaign for Burma, looks to raise worldwide attention to the struggles of Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma.
St. Hugh's College, Oxford, where she studied, had a Burmese theme for their annual ball in support of her in 2006.<ref>"St. Hugh's Full Moon Ball", The Burma Campaign UK. Retrieved on 2006-07-04.</ref>
[edit] Popular media
She is featured prominently in John Boorman's 1995 film Beyond Rangoon, starring Patricia Arquette. She was played by Adele Lutz, the former wife of the musician David Byrne.
Wayne Shorter has named one of his compositions after her. It is most known from the 1997 Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter duet album, 1 + 1.
In 2001, Irish rock band U2 released the single "Walk On", which was written about and dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi. The multi-artist 2004 compilation album For The Lady, which features "Walk On", was banned by the junta.<ref>"for the lady", BBC Burmese, 2004-11-01. Retrieved on 2006-07-04.</ref> During Vertigo Tour concerts in London and Glasgow (June 19 and June 21 2005 respectively), U2 dedicated performances of "Running to Stand Still" to Aung San Suu Kyi. Other artists such as the Black Eyed Peas, Coldplay, Damien Rice, and R.E.M. have also publicly supported Aung San Suu Kyi's cause.
She features prominently in the music video for Rice's collaboration with Lisa Hannigan, "Unplayed Piano", which was apparently written for Suu Kyi.
In 2003's MTV Europe Music Awards, she was given the "Free Your Mind" award.
In a list compiled by the magazine New Statesman in 2006, she was voted as the number one "Hero of our time".<ref>Cowley, Jason. "Heroes of our time — the top 50", New Statesman, 2006-05-22. Retrieved on 2006-05-22.</ref>
[edit] Notes
<references/>
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Website
- US Campaign for Burma Website
- The Burma Campaign UK website
- The Freedom Campaign
- Myanmar Agrees to Release Aung San Suu Kyi: Source
- An extensive story of her life
- World Dharma Online Institute dedicated to furthering Aung San Suu Kyi's "Revolution of the Spirit"
- The Voice of Hope Alan Clements in conversation with Aung San Suu Kyi
- Sunday Herald article about her ongoing detention
- The Nobel Peace Prize 1991
- Nobel Prize press release
- The Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech of Aung San Suu Kyi's son Alexander Aris
- "Freed Burmese Democracy Leader Proclaims 'New Dawn'" by Seth Mydans, for The New York Times, May 7 2002, A3 (only abstract available)
- On the role of Buddhist meditation and contemplation in Aung San Suu Kyi's politics
- Nobel Laureates Call for Suu Kyi's Release - IFEX
- Damien Rice's page promoting his effort to have Aung San Suu Kyi released and also promoting the CD single Unplayed Piano by Rice and fellow singer Lisa Hannigan
- Article 19 Campaign for Aung San Suu Kyi
- Diplomacy Monitor-Aung San Suu Kyi
- Free Suu Kyi.org
|
1976: B.Williams, Corrigan | 1977: AI | 1978: Sadat, Begin | 1979: Mother Teresa | 1980: Esquivel | 1981: UNHRC | 1982: Myrdal, García Robles | 1983: Wałęsa | 1984: Tutu | 1985: IPPNW | 1986: Wiesel | 1987: Arias | 1988: UN Peacekeeping | 1989: Dalai Lama | 1990: Gorbachev | 1991: Suu Kyi | 1992: Menchú | 1993: Mandela, de Klerk | 1994: Arafat, Peres, Rabin | 1995: Pugwash Conferences, Rotblat | 1996: Belo, Ramos Horta | 1997: ICBL, J.Williams | 1998: Hume, Trimble | 1999: MSF | 2000: Kim DJ |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Aung San Suu Kyi |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | nonviolent pro-democracy activist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 19 June 1945 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Yangon, Myanmar |
| DATE OF DEATH | living |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
zh-min-nan:Aung San Suu Kyi bg:Аун Сан Су Чи ca:Aung San Suu Kyi cs:Aung San Suu Kyi da:Daw Aung San Suu Kyi de:Aung San Suu Kyi et:Aung San Suu Kyi es:Aung San Suu Kyi fr:Aung San Suu Kyi id:Aung San Suu Kyi it:Aung San Suu Kyi he:אונג סן סו קי ka:აუნგ სან სუ კი nl:Aung San Suu Kyi ja:アウン・サン・スー・チー no:Aung San Suu Kyi nn:Aung San Suu Kyi pl:Aung San Suu Kyi pt:Aung San Suu Kyi ro:Aung San Suu Kyi ru:Аун Сан Су Чжи sk:Aung San Suu Kyi fi:Aung San Suu Kyi sv:Aung San Suu Kyi th:ออง ซาน ซูจี vi:Aung San Suu Kyi zh:翁山蘇姬
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements | Burmese politicians | Nobel Peace Prize laureates | Recipients of the Sakharov Prize | Buddhist writers | Civil rights activists | Democracy activists | Humanitarians | Nonviolence | Alumni of the School of Oriental and African Studies | Former students of St Hugh's College, Oxford | 1945 births | Living people
