Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
sentenced to seven years in prison, only to be released a few days later to return to
the US. Aung San Suu Kyi and her two housekeepers, meanwhile, were sentenced
to three years of hard labour, commuted to 18 months of house arrest - sufficient
to keep the NLD leader out of the way during the 2010 elections.
International Accolades & the Future
If any further sign was needed of how much the mood had changed in Myanmar, the wo-
man who for 24 years refused to leave the country for fear she would not be allowed to
return and packed her bags for a series of high-profile international visits. First off, in
May, was Bangkok, to speak at the World Economic Forum, followed by a mini
European tour in June. This included visits to Oslo to accept her Nobel Peace Prize, 21
years after winning it; her old home Oxford, to accept an honourary degree; and to Lon-
don for a historic address to both Houses of Parliament. At every stop she was treated as
if she was the visiting head of state.
It's not all been plain sailing. Suu Kyi's refusal to speak up for the persecuted Ro-
hingyas has drawn criticism, the
Economist
noting how Suu Kyi's halo had slipped in the
eyes of human rights advocates over the issue. She has made it plain that her goal is the
presidency of Myanmar in 2015, but to achieve this ambition will require reform of the
current constitution which, in turn, could mean sophisticated political dancing with the
military - again, something unpalatable to many of her supporters.
Freed from captivity, Suu Kyi faces, in the words of Oxford academic Timothy Garton
Ash, 'a life sentence in politics' filled inevitably with 'compromises and disappoint-
ments' as much as future triumphs.
AUNG SAN SUU KYI TIMELINE
19 June 1945
A baby girl is born in Yangon and named after her father (Aung San), paternal grandmother
(Suu) and mother (Khin Kyi); the name means 'a bright collection of strange victories.
1960
Daw Khin Kyi is appointed Burma's ambassador to India. Suu Kyi accompanies her mother to
New Delhi, where she continues her schooling.
1964
