Aung San Suu Kyi, is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and political activist in the country of Myanmar also known as Burma. She was born into a prestigious family that later had influences on her life choices. Her father was Bogyoke Aung San, the man who was responsible for the negotiation of Burma’s independence from Britain. He was unfortunately assassinated 6 months before the official independence of Burma. Her mother, Ma Khin Kyi, was a diplomat and an ambassador of India. Suu Kyi wanted to begin her movements for democracy with the ambition to avenge her father and his ideas. In 1964, Suu Kyi moved to England to attend Oxford University where she received her bachelor’s degree in philosophy, politic, and economics. She didn’t return to Burma until 1988 when her mother sadly had a severe stroke. Upon her arrival in Burma she became an activist against the dictator of the time, U Ne Win. She spoke out against him and declared democracy and human rights.
Consequent to the activism Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest, charged with attempts to divide the military. She then spent the next 15 of the following 21 years under house arrest. The military had offered her freedom if she promised to leave the country of Myanmar (renamed after the dictator U Ne Win began his reign) but she refused as a protest until there was a civil government and those under political arrest were freed. . During the off time of her house arrest she had cofounded the National League for Democracy (NLD)(Zoltan Borany) . Their main goal was to achieve peace and democracy through non-violent protests, and she was appointed general secretary. In fact Aung San Suu Kyi achieved a Nobel Peace Prize for her stand against the dictator U Ne Win. She was seen as a great peaceful protestor and has won many achievements (The Elie Wiesel award being amongst them) (Biography.com) . Throughout a long, tenacious fight on her part she gained the position of state counselor for she could not become president of the country for having children that were born out of the country and having by technicality being a convicted criminal. Htin Kyaw became president who was a longtime friend and adviser to Suu Kyi. As a matter of fact, she had publicly stated that her intentions and actions would be like that of a president until the law for becoming president is changed. Aung San Suu Kyi was allowed for the first time to leave the country in two decades when she visited Bangkok, Thailand in May of 2012.
Although Aung San Suu Kyi has recently been seeing some political backlash in which she was accused of ethnic cleansing of the Muslim people in her country she will always have her political achievements beside her. She has in fact lost some of the very famed awards that she once one including the Amnesty International Award. The accusations put on Suu Kyi are one of many and there is hope that they aren’t in fact true. She achieved a lot for the country of Myanmar for the love and memory of her late father. Aung San Suu Kyi can optimistically stay on her peace for all movement and all can hope that she will. She can be an inspiration to many including the many who are in need of democracy.
Works Cited
Barany , Zoltan. Where Myanmar Went Wrong . 2018, web-a-ebscohost-com.libproxy.umassd.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=16&sid=53288390-27f7-4bf3-ba5c-1210b1c33063%40sdc-v-sessmgr05.
“Aung San Suu Kyi.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 24 Jan. 2019, www.biography.com/people/aung-san-suu-kyi-9192617.