Aung San Suu Kyi

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Timeline: Burma People Very diverse population consists of over 20 ethnic groups, speaking over 100 distinct languages. The majority are Burmans; most of the people are Buddhist.

1800-1947 Burma ruled under British colonialism.

1930s-1940s Burma fights for independence under the leadership of Aung San, who becomes Burma's national hero. 1947 Burma gains independence, negotiated by Aung San, with a democratically-elected parliamentary government. 1948 Aung San assassinated, along with 7 ministers.

1962 A military coup takes over, led by General Ne Win. They suspend the Constitution, close the country to outsiders, and establish a police state which has continued until the present. All private enterprises are nationalized and the economy becomes centrally controlled. As the economy deteriorates, drug traffic increases.

1988 Brought on by financial collapse, a democratic movement spreads throughout the country. Thousands of demonstrators are massacred by the army. Thousands more are arrested and tortured. The Burmese Army seizes power and forms the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). A group of 21 generals holds power. The National League for Democracy (NLD) is formed, with Aung San Suu Kyi as its General Secretary.

1989 Aung San Suu Kyi is placed under house arrest. Other NLD members are jailed.

1990 SLORC holds elections. NLD wins by landslide. SLORC refuses to seat new government.

1991 Aung San Suu Kyi awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

1995 Aung San Suu Kyi released from house arrest, but politically the situation worsens.

Today Rich in natural resources and excellent farm land, Burma has not participated in the Asian 'economic miracle.' It is one of the poorest countries in Asia. According to Amnesty International, Burma has one of the worst human rights records in the world. Hunger and malnutrition are common. The present generation is also growing up poorly educated. Closed to foreigners for many years, because of the political situation Burma has few tourists even today. The military government has changed the name of the country from Burma to Myanmar. However, most Burmese, including Aung San Suu Kyi, continue to refer to the country as Burma. 'Daw,' as in 'Daw Suu,' is a respectful address for women over 25, similar to 'Madam' or 'Ma'am.'

Aung San Suu Kyi's Story

The story of Aung San Suu Kyi is one of the most remarkable in the world today. Since 1988, in a non-violent struggle to bring democracy to Burma, she has stood up to one of the most brutal and unrelenting military dictatorships in the world. In doing so, she has made great personal sacrifices and lived under house arrest for six years.

Born in 1945, Aung San Suu Kyi was the daughter of General Aung San, Burma's national hero, who was assassinated when she was just two years old. Daw Suu never knew her father, but his example has been a great inspiration. Daw Suu hopes that she will be able to complete the job that he began: to develop Burma as a democratic state.

Daw Suu's upbringing in Burma, India, and Great Britain, gave her an opportunity to learn several different cultures and languages and to become familiar with democratic institutions in other countries. In the 1960's Daw Suu attended college at Oxford, England. During this period she met Michael Aris, scholar of Tibetan studies, who would later become her husband.

After college Daw Suu went to New York, where she worked at the UN. Again and again, she wrote to Michael saying that if they married he must understand that one day she might have to return to Burma to help her people: "I only ask one thing. That should my people need me, you would help me to do my duty by them." The couple married in 1972 and lived a quiet family life in Oxford, raising their two sons, Alexander, born in 1973, and Kim, born in 1977. Daw Suu was not involved in Burmese politics. But, at the age of 32, the age at which her father died, Daw Suu became dedicated to learning everything about his life, intending to write his biography. She also traveled to Burma regularly to visit her mother. In March of 1988, Daw Suu received a phone call saying that her mother had suffered a stroke. Michael later wrote that from that moment he knew their lives would never be the same. Daw Suu packed immediately and traveled to Burma the next day.

As Daw Suu nursed her dying mother, the atmosphere in Rangoon was one of growing chaos. Massive peaceful demonstrations, led by students, demanded a democratic multi-party system. In the countryside ethnic minorities also rebelled.

Daw Suu soon became a public figure. In late August she addressed a crowd of 500,000 from the steps of Shwedagon Pagoda, where her father, Aung San, had spoken 50 years earlier. Daw Suu spoke emotionally of her hopes for Burma: a democratic government under the rule of law in which human freedoms and civil rights would be honored. She insisted that the struggle must be non-violent, following in the path of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King; armed struggle would lead only to "a cycle of violence that will never come to an end." Daw Suu's speeches forged the leaderless student uprisings into a powerful movement for social and political change.

To put a stop to the uprisings and entrench its own authority, the Burmese Army seized power and formed the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC).

Daw Suu's house became the national center for the democracy movement. The National League for Democracy (NLD), a political party, was formed with Aung San Suu Kyi as its General Secretary. Under chaotic and dangerous conditions, Daw Suu traveled through the countryside to rally support. On one occasion, Daw Suu was entering a village when six military gunmen jumped from a jeep, pointing their guns at her. Their leader started the countdown to fire. Without stopping, Daw Suu gestured to her companions to move away as she continued walking down the road. At the last second the commander stopped the order to fire. Daw Suu later explained that fear can be our worst enemy. "You should never let your fears prevent you from doing what you know is right. Not that you shouldn't be afraid. Fear is normal. But…you should be able to lead your life in the right way – despite your fears."

As the democracy movement become more unified and powerful, SLORC responded by placing Daw Suu under house arrest. SLORC promised to hold democratic elections in the spring of 1990. Daw Suu's NLD was the most popular of the 200 political parties. SLORC persecuted the democratic parties, especially the NLD. They even evacuated some areas of the country where nld was most popular, moving 500,000 people to 'satellite towns'. In spite of SLORC's efforts, the nld won the elections by a landslide, gaining over 80% of the seats in Parliament. However, SLORC refused to honor the election results. Insisting that the military must dominate the political life of Burma, they imprisoned thousands more.

Meanwhile, Daw Suu continued under what was to be a six-year house arrest. She refused to accept anything, even food, from SLORC, but Daw Suu had little money. As her physical condition deteriorated, she had to sell her parent's furniture, piece by piece, to buy food.

In an attempt to break her spirit, the authorities isolated Daw Suu from her family. For almost three years they were not allowed to visit; for almost two years they did not even receive a letter. How did she survive, month after month, year after year, under house arrest? Daw Suu says that she is a very disciplined person, which made it easier: "My days were organized down to the last minute." Her daily schedule began at 4:30 a.m. with an hour of meditation. She exercised, read, studied Buddhist scripture, sewed, and listened to international news on a short-wave radio. While she missed her family deeply, she has said, "I never felt cut off from life. I listened to the radio many times a day, I read a lot, I felt in touch with what was going on in the world. But, of course, I was very happy to meet my friends again!"

Daw Suu believes in 'engaged Buddhism': the principle of loving-kindness must be put into action. She has also said that she was not frightened under house arrest, because she did not learn to hate her enemy. "I did not hate them and you cannot really be frightened of people you do not hate. Hate and fear go hand in hand." Daw Suu also studies the lives of other leaders who were imprisoned for long periods of time: Nehru of India for 9 years, and Nelson Mandela of South Africa for 27 years. She says one reason their movements succeeded was that under imprisonment the leaders had an opportunity to grow spiritually and strengthen their determination. Daw Suu won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. Although she was not permitted to travel to Norway, winning the Prize made the world more aware of the Burmese struggle.

Daw Suu was released from house arrest in 1995. She began to give weekend public talks from the front gate of her house. Thousands attended, risking their lives to do so. Why? A worker in the crowd expressed what many felt, saying, "Whatever happens, she gives us hope."

But SLORC, which changed its name to the State Peace and Development Council in 1998, has never allowed Daw Suu true political freedom. The military often canceled the weekend speeches, refused Daw Suu's visitors, and cut off her telephone. As of August 1998, Daw Suu has not seen her husband for two and a half years; the government will not grant him a visa. Universities have been closed for eight of the past ten years. During the past three years political repression has intensified. The world condemns the Burmese government's policies, and Burma is not able to get the foreign investment it needs to advance economically.

The aims of the nld are to have the results of the 1990 election finally recognized and reinstatement of the rule of law. Daw Suu has always said that she is willing to talk with the government at any time, but the junta does not want to negotiate. To pressure them, Daw Suu wants international sanctions to be imposed on Burma. Economic sanctions will only hurt the privileged, she says, because most Burmese function outside the formal economy.

In the summer of 1998, Daw Suu, attempting to meet with her party leaders and to convene the legally elected parliament, tried to leave Rangoon several times. Each time was she stopped at a military checkpoint outside Rangoon. On one occasion, Daw Suu refused to turn back and was trapped in her car for thirteen days. Hundreds of nld members have been jailed.

Daw Suu and other officers of the nld treat each other like family. When they meet, even at the most difficult of times there is a lot of joking; Daw Suu is said to have a wonderful sense of humor. In spite of, or perhaps because of, all she has been through and the difficulty of her task, Daw Suu has remained centered, strong, and confident.

Things to Do and Discuss
1 Aung San Suu Kyi has often said that freedom from fear is of utmost importance in politics and personal life. What do you think? Can you apply her ideas in your own life, and if so, how?

2 When under house arrest Daw Suu read a lot: political and philosophical works as well as a few works of fiction such as Pride and Prejudice. Imagine yourself under house arrest. How would you organize your time? If you could ask for three books, what would they be?