Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi was born in Yangon, Myanmar on June 19, 1945. Her father was the General
of the Burmese Army and is considered the father of modern day Myanmar. He was assassinated when
Aung San Suu Kyi was two years old. Her mother was Khin Kyi, she was part of the Womens freedom
league and later on became the ambassador of India. After moving to India, she studied the writings and
teachings of Mahatma Gandhi which greatly influenced her beliefs. In 1964 she began to study at Oxford
University, she got her bachelor's degree in 1969. In 1972, she married Michael Aris and had two
children. She spent her life abroad in United Kingdom with her family from 1973 to 1977.
But soon her mother suffered from a severe stroke in 1988. So, Aung San flew over to Burma to
visit her sick mother and saw the Burmese people suffering from starvation, no plumbing, electricity, or
telephones available. At that time Ne Win, a politician and military commander, was the prime minister
and head of state. Many Burmese rebelled against him because he wanted to close all universities down,
created night curfews, and was basically taking away their freedom. At the time, there were a lot of
protesters who fought against Ne Win and the military government. Although the protesters were not
violent in any way, many of them were arrested and killed.
The people of Burma wanted democracy, so Aung San decided to send a letter to Ne Wins BSPP
(Burma Socialist Programme Party), requesting free multi-party elections. She was advocating for nonviolence and requested all protesters that were arrested be released. She joined a protest and made a
speech to a huge crowd in front of the sacred Buddhist temple, Shwedagon Pagoda on August 26, 1988.
She believed that in order to achieve their goal of democracy, the people must stay united and disciplined.
The speech inspired the crowd so much, she unofficially became the leader of the resistance movement.
She gave multiple speeches during that time, addressing the issues of freedom and democracy in Burma. 1
In July of 1989, the Union of Myanmar placed Aung San under house arrest. She then refused to leave the
country until it had returned to a civilian government and all political prisoners were freed. In 95 she was
released from house arrest but was politically restricted. In 2000, she was placed under house arrest again.
In 2002, she was released from house arrest but her sentence was continuously extended by a year until
2010. She had spent 15 of the last 21 years under house arrest. 2
Aung San Suu Kyi has inspired many from her country and around the world. She remains as the
figurehead of the democracy movement in Myanmar. In 1991, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for
her non-violent struggle for democracy.3 She represents her peoples determination to have political and
economic freedoms in present day.4 Aung San has spoken to many different crowds all around Burma
1 Kirylo, James D. "Aung San Suu Kyi." A Critical Pedagogy of Resistance: 34 Pedagogues We Need to Know.
Sense, 2013. 121-123. Print.

2 "Aung San Suu Kyi Fast Facts." CNN. Cable News Network, 17 Nov. 2015. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.
<http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/18/world/asia/aung-san-suu-kyi-fast-facts/>.

3 "Aung San Suu Kyi Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.biography.com/people/aung-san-suu-kyi-9192617#awards-and-recognition>.

4 "Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize, Burma Freedom Fighter: United for Human Rights." Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize, Burma Freedom Fighter: United for Human Rights. United for Human Rights. Web. 20
Nov. 2015. <http://www.humanrights.com/voices-for-human-rights/daw-aung.html>.

which has inspired many in her country and out. The impact of her speeches has brought much-needed
attention to the issues that are ongoing in Burma.