Who is Aung San Suu Kyi

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Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi is one of the world's most renowned freedom fighters and advocates of nonviolence.  Her struggles are for her home country of Burma and Burma's struggles for democracy while suffering under a strict and brutal military regime.   Aung San Suu Kye was educated in Burma, India and the United Kingdom.  

She grew up with only one parent as her father was assassinated when she was just two years old.  In 1988, she left London to take care of her dying mother.  During this time, she entered the newly formed National League for Democracy political party.  She game many speeches calling for freedom and democracy.  The military regime did not look favorably on her message as they responded with extreme violence as they killed up to 10,000 protesters including women, children and others. 

A few months later, the military regime began to weaken and was forced to call for a national election in 1990.  Suu Kyi campaigned for the NLD which led to her being detained along with others in the party by the regime.  Even with being under house arrest, the NLD still went on to win an amazing 82% of the seats in parliament.  However, the military regime never recognized the results.


Suu Kyi's legal troubles continued as she was held again from 1989-1995, and again from 2000-2002.  In May of 2003 she was arrested and locked behind bars after the Depavin massacre in which up to 100 of her friends and supporters were beaten to death by the regimes goons.  In 2003 she was let out of prison but confined to house arrest where she has remained ever since.

Over Suu Kyi's life, she has won several international awards including the Nobel Peace Prize, The Sakharov Prize from the European Parliament, The United States Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Jawaharlal Nehru Award from India.  She has called on people from around the world to help the struggling people of Burma regain their freedom, asking "Please use your liberty to promote ours."

Quotes from Aung San Suu Kyi 

"I don't think you can say that the talks between us and the military have not yet resumed. I think you could say that dialogue has not yet started."

"I don't want Burma to be a basket case forever."

"I have been free for more than a month. Some people may think that that is long enough. Others may think that that is not quite long enough."

"When we think of the state of the economy, we are not thinking in terms of money flow. We are thinking in terms of the effect on everyday lives of people."

"Whatever help we may want from the international community now or in the future, we want to make sure that this help is tailored to help our people to help themselves."

"We want to empower our people; we want to strengthen them; we want to provide them with the kind of qualifications that will enable them to build up their own country themselves."

"Once serious political dialogue has begun, the international community can assume that we have achieved genuine progress along the road to real democratisation."

" was surprised by the response of young people because there is a perception that those younger than the 1988 generation are not interested in politics."

Aung San Suu Kyi at a Glance 

Aung San Suu Kyi AC (; ), born 19 June 1945 in Rangoon, is Prime Minister-elect, a pro-democracy activist and leader of the National League for Democracy in Burma, and a noted prisoner of conscience and advocate of nonviolent resistance. Aung San Suu Kyi was the third child in her family. Her name is derived from three relatives; "Aung San" from her father, "Kyi" from her mother and "Suu" from her grandmother.Aung San Suu Kyi - Biography. Nobel Prize Foundation. Suu Kyi won the Rafto Prize and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. In 1992 she was...

Aung San Suu Kyi Videos 

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Aung San Suu Kyi on Non-Violen...

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Aung San Suu Kyi - A Political...

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Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's Intervi...

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Burma: Aung San Suu Kyi jailed...

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Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma, Mic...

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U2 - WALK ON - AUNG SAN SUU KY...

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Blog Posts about Aung San Suu Kyi from Google 

Gloom in Yangon as Aung San Suu Kyi trial resumes
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) ? Along the shores of artificial Inya Lake, the empty compound of Aung San Suu Kyi lies within plain sight as couples stroll the path. ...
With No Clear Path Out of a Diplomatic Thicket, a Push to Redraw ...
In Myanmar, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon failed to secure a talk with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. By NEIL MacFARQUHAR YANGON, Myanmar ? Some ...
UN's Ban says to urge Myanmar to release Suu Kyi
"The first, release of all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi." The other two items were the resumption of dialogue between the government ...
Aung San Suu Kyi's Lawyer Appeals Again to Allow Witnesses to Testify
By VOA News Burma's Supreme Court has heard an appeal by lawyers for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to allow two of her key aides to testify at her ...