Tireless Human Rights Activist, Burmese Freedom Fighter and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Vitals:
Born:
Rangoon, Burma, June 19, 1945.
Potent Genes:
Father General Bogyoke Aung San was assassinated in 1947. Her mother, Daw Khin Kyi, became the Burmese ambassador to India and Nepal in 1960.
Aung San Suu Kyi was born in Burma, now known as Myanmar.
Higher Learning:
Although she was raised as a Buddhist, she attended a Christian missionary school. In the 1960's, she studied political science at Delhi University in India and then received her B.A. in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford University.
Family Life:
In 1972, Kyi married Brit Michael Aris. They had two sons together: Alexander in 1973 and Kim in 1977.
Political Beginnings:
From 1969-1971, she served as Assistant Secretary for the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions for the United Nations Secretariat. The next year, she worked as a research officer for the Bhutan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In Demand:
During the 1970's and 1980's, Kyi attended and taught at universities as a fellow and visiting professor in countries all over the world, including Japan and South Africa.
Loyal Daughter:
In 1988, she returned to Burma to nurse her dying mother.
Coincidence?:
Soon after Kyi returned to Burma, General Ne Win, Burma's dictator, resigned. After 28 years of military dictatorship, millions of Burmese citizens, mostly students, rioted in the streets in support of democracy. Hundreds were killed by the military in the following months as the riots ensued.
Some Background:
Until the nineteenth century, Burma was a multiethnic, Buddhist country run by successive Asian monarchs. Between 1824 and 1885, Britain conquered Burma.
After gaining independence in 1948,
a Burmese anti-Fascist party ascended to leadership, but Ne Win and the Burma
Socialist Programme Party (BSSP) eventually took over in a military coup in 1962. Ne Win controlled every aspect of society, including religion (Buddhism), the economy
and social programs. In September of 1988, a State Law and Order Restoration Council was convened and crushed all democratic activity.
Founding Mother:
A few days later, Kyi founded the National League for Democracy (NLD). However, Burma would not have democratic elections for another two years.
Housewife:
As leader of the NLD, Kyi was considered an enemy of the state and was put under house arrest in 1989 for six years even though one can only be held captive without charge or trial for a maximum of three years, according to Burmese law.
Meanwhile...:
While she was under house arrest, Kyi was awarded many international peace awards including the 1990 Sakharov Prize from the European Parliament and the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, which her son, Alexander, accepted on her behalf. In 1990, the NLD won 82% of the seats in parliament, but the defeated party prevented the NLD from instituting any significant changes. They annulled the election results shortly thereafter. During this time, Kyi published several books, including Let's Visit Burma and Freedom From Fear.
What Concerns Her Most:
"Peace, security, human rights and democracy. "
Her Hero:
Nelson Mandela.
Aftermath:
Kyi was released from captivity in 1995, but not before gaining international support and recognition for her non-violent struggle for democracy. She is currently the leader of the opposition in Burma, but the ruling party in Burma (now called Myanmar) the junta continues to hinder democracy and basic human rights. In September of 1998, Kyi, on behalf of the NLD, declared all rules issued by the junta to be void. The Junta responded with over 1000 arrests.
Cool Quotes:
(1) from her address to the 1995 International Conference on Women in Beijing, China: "The education and empowerment of women throughout the world cannot fail to result in a more caring, tolerant, just and peaceful life for all."
(2)From an interview with Ivan Suvanijeff in 1995:"People who are spiritually developed do not think of others in terms of their differences, but in terms of what they have in common."
Endnote:
Aung San Suu Kyi's husband, Michael Aris, died in March, 1999 of prostate cancer, but he was refused an entry visa into Myanmar to visit his wife, whom he had not seen in three years.
To find out more, visit these sites:
