Burma - Aung San Suu Kyi

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Aung San Suu Kyi was born on 19 June 1945. Her father, Aung San, was a general in the Burmese army and negotiated Burma's independence from the United Kingdom in 1947; he was assassinated by his rivals in the same year. She grew up with her mother, Khin Kyi, and two brothers, Aung San Lin and Aung San Oo in Yangon. After accompanying her mother to Delhi on her appointment as Burmese ambassador to India and Nepal and studies politics at Delhi University, Aung San Suu Kyi went to study at the University of Oxford. Aung San Suu Kyi returned to Burma in 1988 to take care of her ailing mother, and became interested in politics.

• On August 8th, 1988, during the protests known as the 8888 Uprising after the long-time leader of the social ruling party stepped down, Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of General Aung San, became a prominent leader in the fight for democracy.


• Influenced by both Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence and by more specifically Buddhist concepts, Aung San Suu Kyi entered politics to work for democratization, helped found the National League for Democracy on 27 September 1988, and was put under house arrest in July 1989.


• Although multiparty elections were held in 1990, the military regime ignored how Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, won with an overwhelming majority.


• The military regime continued to rule with an iron fist and imprisoned many of the would-be elected political leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi herself. She was offered freedom if she left the country, but she refused.


• She was held from 1989-1995, and again from 2000-2002


• She was again arrested and placed behind bars in May 2003 after the Depayin massacre, during which her envoy was attacked and up to 100 of her supporters were beaten to death by the regime’s cronies.


• She has moved from prison back into house arrest in late 2003 and has been held there ever since.