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Aung San Suu Kyi was born on the 19th of June 1945.She was the daughter of GeneralAung San who led the Independance movement during the 2nd world war and is regarded as the father of Burmese democracy.
Loss touched her twice whilst she was young, favorite brother died of drowning when he was still young and her father was assassinated weeks before Independence was finally assured.
Her mother, after her father’s death became a prominent political figure, and became
Burma’s ambassador to India. Aung San Suu Kyi moved with her mother to Delhi as a child. She attended High School at Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi then moved to England to do University in Politics and Economics. It was here she met her husband Michael Aris. The had two sons, Kim and Alex.
Then, Aung San Suu Kyi received the phone call that changed her life.
Her mother was dying. She was needed in Rangoon now.
She was in Rangoon by the next day. And she was just the person Rangoon needed.
When she arrived there were people on the streets by the thousands protesting for democracy. Burma had up until this time been run by General Ne Win who took over the country in 1962.
On August the Eight the people rose up. And the military stood down. They massacred thousands of High School and University students in Rangoon. This massacre was never broadcasted. On the 26th Aung San Suu Kyi made her first public speech, speaking to several hundred thousand outside the Shewdagon Pagoda in Rangoon, calling for a democratically elected government.
On September the 24th she started her political party, the National League for Democracy.
In 1990 the Burmese Government (SLORC) called Elections. Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest and prohibited from standing for the election. However her party won 82% of the votes. It was an absolute land slide. She was, however not allowed to take chrge of the county, she was instead left under house arrest.
In 1991 she won the Noble Peace Prize. It was presented to her sons because she was still in detention, having refused the offer of freedom if she left Burma and withdrew from politics.
Then, after 6 years in detention, she was released.
Her husband contracted prostate cancer in 1999. She was once again told she was free to leave Burma to see him, but she would not be able to return. She did not leave. Her husband died.
Then in 2003, while traveling the country heading towards Mandalay she was stopped by Pro-Military thugs. Many of her convoy were killed as the men beat them with sticks and threw rocks at them. Aung San Suu Kyi would have been killed if her driver didn’t slam his foot down and drive through the road blocks that had been set up. 200 died that night.
SLORC (now calling themselves SPDC) decided that “for her own safety” she should be placed under house arrest, yet again. She is still there today, alone. A light burning for democracy. All she has to do is say she will not carry on with her fight for democracy, and she would be freed. But she stays. She stays behind the barbed wire. For she knows that it is behind the barbed wire that hope can be found.
