Aung San Suu Kyi was born in Rangoon, Burma on June 19, 1945. She got her B.A. at Oxford University, went to New York and London for graduate studies, began research and publishing very early in her career. Her political career began in 1988 upon resignation of General Ne Win, who was the military dictator in Burma since 1962. There were mass uprisings and voter suppression by the military, killing thousands. The State Law & Order Restoration Council was established at this time to crack down on political gatherings for democracy.
Su Kyi got involved by making public speeches and writing letters to the government. The same year the National League for Democracy was formed with her as general-secretary. It was focused on non-violent resistance and struggle for democracy in Burma. In 1989 she was placed under house arrest. Despite her detention, NLD won the election with 82% of parliamentary seats. The SLORC refused to recognize the results and continued her detention until 1995, July. She could not even travel to accept the Nobel Peace Prize that she was awarded in 1991. She received other human rights prizes for her unbroken will for the fight for democracy and human rights in Burma.
No comments:
Post a Comment