Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
Name	Soe Win
Order	10th Prime Minister of Myanmar
Term start	19 October 2004
Term end	12 October 2007
Predecessor	Khin Nyunt
Successor	Thein Sein
Birth date	May 10, 1947
Birth place	Taunggyi, British Burma
Death date
Death place	Yangon
Religion	Theravada Buddhism
Spouse	Than Than Nwe
Children	Nay Soe, Theint Theint Soe
Party	Appointed by State Peace and Development Council
Alma mater	Defence Services Academy }}

General Soe Win (; ; 10 May 1947 – October 12, 2007) was the Prime Minister of Burma and Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council from 2004 to 2007. He was known by Burmese dissident groups as "the butcher of Depayin" for his role as mastermind of the 2003 Depayin Massacre, in which 70 National League for Democracy supporters were killed by a government-sponsored mob.

Biography

Early career

Soe Win was born in 1948. A graduate of the Defense Services Academy (12th intake), he took part in the crackdown on democracy protesters in 1988, deploying troops around Rangoon University and ordering them to shoot at Rangoon General Hospital during the upheaval. He became Tactical Operations Commander 3 of the Northwestern Regional Command in 1990.

In 1997 he was named Regional Commander and a member of the junta, then called the State Law and Order Restoration Council, or SLORC. In November 2001 he was named Air Defense General of the War Office. In February 2003 he was promoted to Secretary-2 of the junta, which was vacant after Lieutenant General Tin Oo was killed in a helicopter crash two years before.

Soe Win is widely regarded as the mastermind behind the deadly attack against National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters in the 30 May 2003 Depayin Massacre. The same year he accompanied Senior General Than Shwe on state visits to Vietnam and China. Soe Win also signed the order to dismiss Foreign Minister Win Aung and his deputy in September 2003.

Rise to prime minister

Soe Win was appointed prime minister by State Peace and Development Council chairman Than Shwe on October 19, 2004. Soe Win succeeded Khin Nyunt, who officially had been "permitted to retire for health reasons", but the reformist-minded premier had actually fallen out of favor with Than Shwe. Khin Nyunt was later convicted by a special tribunal of corruption charges and sentenced to 44 years in prison.

As Secretary-1 in the SPDC and prime minister, Soe Win was third in the leadership structure under Senior General Than Shwe and SPDC vice-chairman, Vice-Senior General Maung Aye. A senior member of the SPDC, Soe Win was close to Than Shwe, and the two men saw eye-to-eye on “nation building projects”, which included constructing dams, roads and bridges.

With his appointment as prime minister, he took a tougher line against political reform than did his immediate predecessor, Khin Nyunt. He was quoted as saying in January 2003 "the SPDC not only won’t talk to the NLD but also would never hand over power to the NLD."

Health issues and death

In March 2007, Soe Win was admitted to a private hospital in Singapore. The government was secretive about the nature of his illness, though it was reported in the media that he was suffering from leukemia. He returned to Burma on 3 May 2007, but then returned to Singapore later that month. The Burmese embassy in Singapore said he was being treated for a "serious health matter". In April 2007, Lieutenant General Thein Sein was appointed acting prime minister in Soe Win's absence. On 1 October 2007, in the wake of the anti-government protests, Soe Win returned to Burma. His condition was reported as "very ill" and he was admitted to a military hospital in Mingalardon Township, Rangoon.

Soe Win's death was officially announced by the military authorities on October 12. He died in Mingalardon Hospital, aged 59, from leukemia. His twin brother Major-General Tin Htun had died on 19 September 2007 of leukemia.

Career timeline

Commanding Officer No. 12 Light Infantry Regiment (1990)

G.S.O. (1), Central Command (1993)

Commander, No. 66 Light Infantry Division (1996)

Commander, North West Command (1997) and Chairman of Sagaing Division, State Law and Order Restoration Council

Chief of Air Defense Forces (November 2001) and Member of State Peace and Development Council

Secretary-2, State Peace and Development Council (February 2003)

Secretary-1, State Peace and Development Council (August 2003)

Prime Minister of Myanmar (October 19, 2004)

Decorations and Medals

Naingngandaw Sit-Hmu-Dan Tazeit

Pyithusit Taik Pwe Win Tazeit

Naingngandaw Ayegyantharyaye Tazeit

Mong Yang Methawaw Taik Pwe Tazeit

Tatmadaw Gonzaung Ahmu-Dan Tazeit (First Grade)

Tatmadaw Gonzaung Ahmu-Dan Tazeit (Second Grade)

Tatmadaw Gonzaung Ahmu-Dan Tazeit (Third Grade)

Sit-Hmu-Dan Thet Tazeit

Naingngan Akyo-Zaung Tazeit

Sit Pwe Tazeit (1974–1988)

Sit Pwe Tazeit (1988–1990)

Sit-Hmu-Dan Gaung Tazeit

Tatmadaw Shwe-Yatu Tazeit

References

External links

Obituary in ''The Times'', 15 October 2007

Category:1948 births Category:2007 deaths Category:Burmese Buddhists Category:Deaths from leukemia Category:Cancer deaths in Burma Category:People from Shan State Category:Defence Services Academy alumni

cs:So Vin de:Soe Win el:Σόε Γουίν es:Soe Win fr:Soe Win gl:Soe Win ko:소 윈 hi:सो विन id:Soe Win it:Soe Win ms:Soe Win my:စိုးဝင်း၊ ဗိုလ်ချုပ်ကြီး ja:ソー・ウィン no:Soe Win pl:Soe Win pt:Soe Win ru:Со Вин fi:Soe Win sv:Soe Win th:โซ วิน zh:梭溫

Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
Honorific-prefix	The Right Honourable
Name	Andrew Mitchell
Honorific-suffix	MP
Office	Secretary of State for International Development
Primeminister	David Cameron
Term start	12 May 2010
Predecessor	Douglas Alexander
Office1	Shadow Secretary of State for International Development
Leader1	Michael HowardDavid Cameron
Term start1	7 May 2005
Term end1	11 May 2010
Predecessor1	Alan Duncan
Successor1	Douglas Alexander
Office2	Member of Parliament for Sutton Coldfield
Term start2	7 June 2001
Predecessor2	Norman Fowler
Majority2	17,005 (33.6%)
Office3	Member of Parliament for Gedling
Term start3	11 June 1987
Term end3	1 May 1997
Predecessor3	Philip Holland
Successor3	Vernon Coaker
Birth date	March 23, 1956
Birth place	Hampstead, London, England
Party	Conservative
Alma mater	Jesus College, Cambridge
Website	www.andrew-mitchell-mp.co.uk }}

The Right Honourable Andrew John Bower Mitchell MP (born 23 March 1956) is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sutton Coldfield. He was appointed as Secretary of State for International Development on 12 May 2010, and as a Privy Counsellor on 13 May 2010.

Early life

Andrew Mitchell was born in Hampstead in north London, and is the son of David Mitchell, a former Conservative MP and junior Government minister.

Education

Mitchell was educated at Rugby School, an independent school in the market town of Rugby in Warwickshire. After a short-service commission in the Royal Tank Regiment, he went up to Jesus College, Cambridge, where he studied History. He was Chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association in Michaelmas 1977 and the President of the Cambridge Union in 1978.

Early career

Mitchell served as a United Nations peacekeeper in Cyprus during the 1970s, and went on to work and travel extensively in Africa and Asia. He served in the Royal Tank Regiment of the British Army before joining Lazard, one of the world's largest investment banks, where he worked with British companies seeking large-scale overseas contracts. He is a Trustee of the E.M. Radiation Research Trust , which conducts research into radiation emissions, from sites such as mobile phone masts. He was also a Senior Strategy Advisor for Accenture, the management consultancy and technology outsourcing company.

Political career

Mitchell was the only Conservative member of Islington Health Authority (IHA) in north London during the 1980s, and in that capacity, he called among other measures for the IHA to make greater use of competitive tendering in the allocation of service contracts.

Mitchell entered Parliament at 31 years old, as the MP for Gedling, in Nottinghamshire, between 1987 and 1997, serving in the Commons at the same time as his father. In 1988, under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, he became PPS to William Waldegrave, who was Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In 1990, he became PPS to John Wakeham, who was Secretary of State for Energy. In 1992, under John Major, he became Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party, and in the same year was appointed as an Assistant Government Whip. In 1993, he became a Government Whip. In 1995, he became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Social Security, a position he held until 1997.

Mitchell lost his Commons seat in Tony Blair's Labour 'landslide' election of 1997, but in 2001, returned to Parliament as the MP for Sutton Coldfield, in Birmingham. He held no shadow ministerial or organisational position under the leadership of Iain Duncan Smith, but in 2003, in the first month of the new leadership of Michael Howard, he became Shadow Minister of State for Economic Affairs, and in 2004, the Shadow Minister of State for Home Affairs, in which his primary brief was police matters. In May 2005, he was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for International Development. After Howard's decision to stand down as leader following the 2005 General Election defeat, Mitchell ran the unsuccessful leadership campaign of David Davis, but retained his Shadow Cabinet position under the newly-elected Conservative leader, David Cameron. He was re-elected at the May 2010 general election, and in the same month became the new Secretary of State for International Development at the Department for International Development (DfID).

During the ongoing battle of Tripoli Mitchell said that the UK had learned from Iraq and had laid the groundwork for a post-Gaddafi Libya. While emphasising that the transition should be Libyan-led, Mitchell said Libya's allies had outlined steps to ensure a smooth transition. He added that "We have made clear that there should be no revenge attacks," he said. "Libyans have to work together for a new Libya. They should keep in place the sinews of security. The National Transitional Council (NTC) in Benghazi has good informal connections with security officials in Tripoli and has told them: 'You've got a job, please help us keep stability'." He added that "Divisions between the rebels groups are overstated," said Mitchell. "The way the National Transitional Council has reached out gives us some confidence."

Work as a Member of Parliament

Mitchell has campaigned on a wide range of local issues, from the safety of mobile phone masts to the administration of justice, and has particularly focussed on local development where it appears to adversely affect his constituents. He deals with a wide range of issues for constituents, often dealing directly with government departments, agencies and other organisations on their behalf, and holds regular Advice Sessions for them. He also regularly visits local schools, businesses and voluntary organisations across Sutton Coldfield. He successfully brought about the restoration of Sutton Coldfield Civic Service and introduced the Sutton Coldfield Inter-Schools Debating Competition. He receives over 5,000 letters per year from constituents, and actively supports a number of local charities including Breastfriends, Norman Laud Association, the Sutton Coldfield Branch of the RNLI, Parkinson’s Disease Society, Sutton Coldfield Sea Cadets, Greenacres, and Sutton Coldfield Guiding.

''Keep Justice Local'' campaign

In 2002, Mitchell successfully led the ''Keep Justice Local'' campaign across his constituency of Sutton Coldfield to safeguard the 50-year-old Courthouse (Magistrates' Court) from imminent closure. He presented a petition signed by over 5,500 constituents, protesting at plans to transfer the Courthouse's work to Birmingham.

However, once in government Mitchell appeared to have changed his views on the closure of the courthouse after a decision was taken to close it December 2010, although it is not clear that he necessarily did so, as his public statement did not actually endorse the decision that had been taken. He was quoted as saying: "We must now ensure that there's a widespread local discussion about the future of the site and the building. I know that our councillors are already looking at how best we can do this".

Voting record

In 1994, as MP for Gedling, Mitchell voted in the House of Commons for the restoration of the death penalty, which measure was defeated 383–186. Between 2001 and 2010, as MP for Sutton Coldfield, his House of Commons voting record shows that he voted for: limiting climate change, Civil Partnerships for gay couples, greater autonomy for schools, a UK Referendum on the EU Lisbon Treaty, the replacement of Trident, the invasion of Iraq and the subsequent Iraq investigation, and limiting pollution from civil aviation. During the same period, he voted against: ID cards, the closure of Post Offices, both 42 days' and 90 days' detention without charge or trial, the DNA database, closer EU integration, the relaxation of gambling laws, Section 28 (although in 1988 he had voted in favour), employment discrimination against gay people, the legalisation of recreational drugs, a fully elected House of Lords and a ban on fox hunting. He was ranked by the Liberal Democrat Voice (connected to, but not part of, the Liberal Democrat Party) as one of the least authoritarian members of Parliament, scoring 3 out of 100 points for his votes between 2005 - 2010., with a joint ranking of 542 out of 619.

2005 Leadership Contest

Mitchell was the Campaign Manager for David Davis in the 2005 Conservative leadership contest. Davis started the campaign as the widely acknowledged front runner, but delivered a speech to that year's Conservative Party Conference which was described as "uninspiring" by his party supporters and the media. However, referring to a Conference speech by the party's former leader, Mitchell said: "William Hague made a great speech which many people will judge to be better than all the other leadership candidates put together. What that tells you is that being absolutely brilliant at being able to make a speech at conference is not the be-all-and-end-all of leadership. There are other things as well."

Although Davis attracted a sizeable vote of party members in the contest, he was defeated by his younger challenger, David Cameron. Despite Davis's defeat, however, Mitchell retained his position in Cameron's new Shadow Cabinet.

Mitchell reaction to Davis resignation

In June 2008, David Davis took a decision to resign both his position as Shadow Home Secretary and his constituency seat, and to immediately stand for re-election, in protest at the Labour Government's proposal to extend detention without trial for terrorist suspects to 42 days. Andrew Mitchell was reported by the media to have met Davis on the House of Commons terrace and was seen to have "looked horrified" when Davis told him of his decision, and to have vigorously argued with him about it. His friends apparently said later that he was "incandescent" at not having been consulted beforehand. Davis allegedly replied: "It's too late — I've already done it", to which Mitchell allegedly responded: "You're nuts".

Direct involvement with developing world

Whilst still in Opposition, Mitchell visited countries throughout the developing world to establish in detail how aid could be most effectively and fairly delivered. He visited a number of countries in Africa and Asia containing some of the worst poverty in the world, such as Sierra Leone, Ghana, Ethiopia, Chad, Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Kenya, Thailand, Cambodia and Burma (The Republic of the Union of Myanmar). In many of these places, he created video reports detailing local conditions and some of the NGO projects aimed at ameliorating them. Whilst in Burma, Mitchell challenged its Government by raising evidence of systematic human rights abuses in the country, and its continued imprisonment of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. He also emphasised the need to provide rapid and substantial aid to the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

''Project Umubano''

Mitchell led large groups of Conservative volunteers from a wide range of professions, including doctors, teachers, lawyers and entrepreneurs, in social development projects in Rwanda for three consecutive summers, from 2007 to 2009, as part of ''Project Umubano'', and kept a detailed diary of their activities and experiences. The volunteers focussed on five areas: health, education, justice, the private sector, and a community centre construction project. In 2008, Mitchell himself taught English to over a thousand Rwandan primary school teachers.

BBC Gaza Appeal

Mitchell expressed support for the idea of a televised appeal for Gaza on the BBC in 2009, a subject which had aroused much controversy on both sides of the argument. He said that whilst the matter was ultimately for the BBC to decide, "We believe that they should allow the broadcast to proceed so that the British public, who have proved themselves so generous during recent emergencies in the Congo and Burma, can make their own judgment on the validity of the appeal".

Praise from news presenter Jon Snow

On 1 July 2010, at the end of the Global Poverty Debate in the House of Commons, according to both the verbatim transcript of www.parliament.uk, and the full video recording of the debate at BBC Democracy Live, the Minister of State for International Development, Alan Duncan, quoted the Channel 4 news presenter and journalist Jon Snow as having said the previous day that: "Andrew Mitchell is unquestionably the best prepared Secretary of State — nobody has waited longer in the wings and everyone in the sector knows of his commitment to the sector".

Emphasis on aid transparency and contributions 'guarantee'

As Secretary of State for International Development, Mitchell has repeatedly asserted the need for transparency in aid donations to other countries, with contributions fully accounted for and published, and intends Britain to lead the world in this transparency. He has made clear that value for money in aid donations are of critical importance and has provided a guarantee that British legislation will be amended to ensure that Britain's aid contributions will be maintained at 0.7% of UK GNI (Gross National Income) by 2013. He has also asked former international envoy and Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown to conduct a review of the UK's response to international humanitarian disasters, such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, to see whether lessons can be learned from them.

Prize Winner of ''Westminster Dog of the Year'' Award

In 2009, Andrew Mitchell won the top prize among Parliamentarians for the ''Westminster Dog of the Year'' Award, for his dog Molly. Judges said that Molly, a seven-year old Welsh Springer Spaniel, had an "excellent condition and temperament", that she "stood out particularly because she is the ‘glue’ of her family“, and that Mitchell was "an owner who shows commitment to responsible dog ownership".

2009 expenses claims

According to ''The Daily Telegraph'' newspaper, which first reported the unredacted expenses claims of Members of Parliament, the vast majority of claims made by Mitchell were for office expenses, but there was criticism of him among some of the British media, which reported that he had made a number of small claims for items such as a 'stick of glue' (reportedly costing 13 pence), and other items, that they implied should have been paid from his own pocket. However, these items appear to have been for official Parliamentary use, and were accepted by the House of Commons Fees Office as legitimate expenses incurred as a result of his Parliamentary work. In contrast to the expenses claims made by a number of other MPs, there were no allegations in ''The Daily Telegraph'' or other newspapers that Mitchell had at any time made excessively large claims, had sought to benefit personally from them, or that there had been any impropriety in any of his claims.

Unproven allegations of lobbying on behalf of donors

An article in 'The Sunday Times' newspaper on 30 October 2010, quoted by 'The Guardian' newspaper the following day, claimed that Mitchell had 'pressured' the Foreign Office and colleagues to lobby Ghana (successfully) for the lifting of a ban on a cocoa company, Armajaro, which had been a repeated donor to Mitchell's parliamentary office and also a donor to the Conservative Party. Ghana had imposed the ban as the company was believed by the Ghanaian government to have been smuggling cocoa out of Ghana. However, when questioned on the ITV News on the 2 November about his role in the case, Mitchell pointed out that he had a duty as a member of the government to respond to the company's requests, as it was registered as a British company, and that the government had a responsibility to promote British trade. He also pointed out that he had seen no evidence that the Ghanaian government's suspicions about the company in question had been substantiated, and that the claim that he had acted improperly on behalf of a party donor was unreasonable, as the company had ceased to donate to both the Conservative Party and his parliamentary office several years earlier.

Personal life

Mitchell is married to a G.P. and has two children, and lives in his constituency of Sutton Coldfield and in Islington in north London. His wealth is estimated at £2m.

See also

Cameron Ministry

References

External links

Andrew Mitchell MP ''official constituency website''

Profile: Andrew Mitchell ''BBC News'', 10 February 2005

Pan-African Free Trade Agreement: Helping Africa through Free Trade – Andrew Mitchell talks at the Cato Institute

|- |-

Category:1956 births Category:Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge Category:British Secretaries of State Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs Category:Living people Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Category:Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for English constituencies Category:Old Rugbeians Category:Presidents of the Cambridge Union Society Category:Royal Tank Regiment officers Category:UK MPs 1987–1992 Category:UK MPs 1992–1997 Category:UK MPs 2001–2005 Category:UK MPs 2005–2010 Category:UK MPs 2010–

de:Andrew Mitchell la:Andreas Mitchell pl:Andrew Mitchell (polityk) simple:Andrew Mitchell

Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
bgcolour	#6495ED
name	Bagyi Aung Soe
birth date	1924
birth place	Yangon, British Burma
death date	1990
death place	Yangon, Myanmar
nationality	Burmese
field	Painting
movement	Modernist (abstract-figurative)Painting
influenced by	Hla Baw, Ba Nyan, Ba Kyi, Ba Gyan, Nandalal Bose, Affandi, a wide range of European modernist painters such as Picasso and Matisse, Traditional Burmese Painting
influenced	Nann Wai, Aung Myint
website	}}

''Bagyi'' Aung Soe (, ; 1924–1990) was a Burmese painter renowned for his modern art, which many called "psychopathic art" when it first appeared. The name "Bagyi" is his phonetic spelling of the word "pangyi", meaning "painting", which he first added to his name in 1955.

Santiniketan and Early Life in Burma

The Indian government offered him a scholarship in 1951 to study art at Santiniketan, founded by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, but he chose to return to Burma after only a year. He traveled throughout Burma studying its handicrafts, classical art and architecture, especially that of Bagan. In early 1953 one of Aung Soe's abstract paintings was published in ''Shumawa'' magazine, causing considerable controversy. Some said that the artist was mad.

Trip to Peshawar, Afghanistan and Russia

In the winter of 1953 he was able to visit Peshawar, Afghanistan and Moscow for art studies. It has been alleged that in Russia he saw the works of modern European masters such as Picasso, Matisse and Kandinsky, but this can hardly be true because the work of the European modern masters was in deep storage in Russia and unavailable to public view during the Stainist period and for many years afterwards. However, it is clear that Aung Soe was influenced by European painters such as Picasso and Matisse, probably Japanese painting (one work shows influence of ''sumi-e''), and the work of painters at Santiniketan, both contemporary and deceased, whose works were in the Santiniketan Museum. During his time at Santiniketan, Aung Soe met the Indonesian expressionist painter Affandi, who also influenced him. In addition to these foreign influences, Aung Soe was deeply influenced by the long history of Burmese Traditional painting, stretching back to the time of Bagan, which can still be seen on the walls of temples of the old city there.

Later Life in Burma

After this, he had to depend on the Rangoon University library for art books as a source of inspiration. An eccentric, at times drunken and emotional, he had few friends in the artistic community, and few who shared his views on art. He worked alone, but did show his work in informal underground exhibitions, introducing concepts such as Cubism and Surrealism.

To earn money, Bagyi Aung Soe painted for magazines and book covers until the end of his career. At times his family was so poor that his wife had to sell mohinga, a noodle soup, to support them. Bagyi Aung Soe suffered poverty and isolation and never found success during his life. He died in 1990, going deaf and blind.

Work

Aung Soe thought deeply about the relevance of art in 20th-century Burma. According to Yin Ker, "He aspired for his paintings to be visual translations of Buddhist truths, not mere illustrations of episodes from the Buddha's previous lives or pretty pictures of pagodas and monks". In his later years, in poverty and with failing health, he became increasingly obsessed with creating an artistic idiom that reflected the Buddhist laws of impermanence. His biographer has said "he transposed his spiritual aspirations and experiences into his artistic mission statement and applied their practical methods to the act of creation".

Though Aung Soe's talent was unrecognized during his life, he is now among the most admired and most famous of Burmese modern artists. Less than ten years after his death, his paintings fetched thousands of dollars in Indonesian art galleries. The organizer of a 2009 exhibition in his honor said "almost two decades after his death, his art continues to fascinate and stimulate".

Collections

Singapore Art Museum

Notes

Further reading

"L'art fou ou art moderne birman selon les illustrations de Bagyi Aung Soe"

External links

Bagyiaungsoe.com - Online exhibition, writings, and bibliography

Category:1924 births Category:1990 deaths Category:Burmese painters Category:People from Yangon

my:အောင်စိုး၊ ဗဂျီ

Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
Name	Aung San Suu Kyiအောင်ဆန်းစုကြည်
Birth date	June 19, 1945
Birth place	Rangoon, British Burma
Alma mater	University of Delhi(B.A. Politics, 1964)St Hugh's College, Oxford(B.A. Philosophy, Politics and Economics, 1969)University of London(Ph.D, 1985)
Known for	Leading the Burmese democracy movementGeneral Secretary of the National League for Democracy
Party	National League for Democracy
Religion	Theravada Buddhism
Spouse	Michael Aris (1972–1999)
Children	AlexanderKim
Awards	Rafto PrizeNobel Peace PrizeJawaharlal Nehru AwardInternational Simón Bolívar PrizeOlof Palme Prize }}

Aung San Suu Kyi (; born 1945) is a Burmese opposition politician and the General Secretary of the National League for Democracy. In the 1990 general election, Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won 59% of the national votes and 81% (392 of 485) of the seats in Parliament. She had, however, already been detained under house arrest before the elections. She remained under house arrest in Burma for almost 15 of the 21 years from 20 July 1989 until her release on 13 November 2010.

Aung San Suu Kyi received the Rafto Prize and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. In 1992 she was awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding by the Government of India and the International Simón Bolívar Prize from the government of Venezuela. In 2007, the Government of Canada made her an honorary citizen of that country, one of only five people ever to receive the honor. Aung San Suu Kyi is the third child and only daughter of Aung San, considered to be the father of modern-day Burma.

Name

Aung San Suu Kyi derives her name from three relatives: "Aung San" from her father, "Suu" from her paternal grandmother and "Kyi" from her mother Khin Kyi. She is frequently called Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. ''Daw'' is not part of her name, but is an honorific, similar to madame, for older, revered women, literally meaning "aunt." She is also often referred to as Daw Suu by the Burmese (or ''Amay Suu'', lit. "Mother Suu," by some followers), or "Aunty Suu", and as Dr. Suu Kyi, Ms. Suu Kyi, or Mrs. Suu Kyi by the foreign media. However, like other Burmese, she has no surname (see Burmese names). The pronunciation of her name is approximated as "Awn Sahn Sue Chee," although the "ch" in "Chee" is unaspirated.

Personal life

Aung San Suu Kyi was born in Rangoon (now named Yangon). Her father, Aung San, founded the modern Burmese army and negotiated Burma's independence from the British Empire 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 Rangoon. Aung San Lin died at age eight, when he drowned in an ornamental lake on the grounds of the house. Her elder brother emigrated to San Diego, California, becoming a United States citizen. After Aung San Lin's death, the family moved to a house by Inya Lake where Suu Kyi met people of very different backgrounds, political views and religions. She was educated in Methodist English High School (now Basic Education High School No. 1 Dagon) for much of her childhood in Burma, where she was noted as having a talent for learning languages. She is a Theravada Buddhist.

Suu Kyi's mother, Khin Kyi, gained prominence as a political figure in the newly formed Burmese government. She was appointed Burmese ambassador to India and Nepal in 1960, and Aung San Suu Kyi followed her there,she studied in the Convent of Jesus and Mary School, New Delhi and graduated from Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi with a degree in politics in 1964. Suu Kyi continued her education at St Hugh's College, Oxford, obtaining a B.A. degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1969. After graduating, she lived in New York City with a family friend and worked at the UN for three years, primarily on budget matters, writing daily to her future husband, Dr. Michael Aris. In 1972, Aung San Suu Kyi married Aris, a scholar of Tibetan culture, living abroad in Bhutan. The following year she gave birth to their first son, Alexander Aris, in London; their second son, Kim, was born in 1977. Subsequently, she earned a PhD at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London in 1985. She was elected as an Honorary Fellow in 1990. For two years she was a Fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies (IIAS) in Shimla, India. She also worked for the government of the Union of Burma.

In 1988 Suu Kyi returned to Burma, at first to tend for her ailing mother but later to lead the pro-democracy movement. Aris' visit in Christmas 1995 turned out to be the last time that he and Suu Kyi met, as Suu Kyi remained in Burma and the Burmese dictatorship denied him any further entry visas. Aris was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997 which was later found to be terminal. Despite appeals from prominent figures and organizations, including the United States, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Pope John Paul II, the Burmese government would not grant Aris a visa, saying that they did not have the facilities to care for him, and instead urged Aung San Suu Kyi to leave the country to visit him. She was at that time temporarily free from house arrest but was unwilling to depart, fearing that she would be refused re-entry if she left, as she did not trust the military junta's assurance that she could return.

Aris died on his 53rd birthday on 27 March 1999. Since 1989, when his wife was first placed under house arrest, he had seen her only five times, the last of which was for Christmas in 1995. She also remains separated from her children, who live in the United Kingdom.

On 2 May 2008, after Cyclone Nargis hit Burma, Suu Kyi lost the roof of her house and lived in virtual darkness after losing electricity in her dilapidated lakeside residence. She used candles at night as she was not provided any generator set. Plans to renovate and repair the house were announced in August 2009. Suu Kyi was released from house arrest on 13 November 2010.

Political beginnings

Aung San Suu Kyi returned to Burma in 1988 to take care of her ailing mother. By coincidence, in the same year, the long-time military leader of Burma and head of the ruling party, General Ne Win, stepped down. This led to mass demonstrations for democracy on 8 August 1988 (8–8–88, a day seen as auspicious), which were violently suppressed in what came to be known as the 8888 Uprising. On 26 August 1988, she addressed half a million people at a mass rally in front of the Shwedagon Pagoda in the capital, calling for a democratic government. However in September, a new military junta took power. Later the same month, 24 September 1988, the National League for Democracy (NLD) was formed, with Suu Kyi as general secretary.

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 24 September 1988, and was put under house arrest on 20 July 1989. She was offered freedom if she left the country, but she refused.

One of her most famous speeches is the "Freedom From Fear" speech, which begins: "It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it."

She also believes fear spurs many world leaders to lose sight of their purpose. "Government leaders are amazing", she once said. "So often it seems they are the last to know what the people want."

Political career

1990 general election

In 1990, the military junta called a general election, in which the National League for Democracy (NLD) received 59% of the votes, guaranteeing NLD 80% of the parliament seats. Some claim that Aung San Suu Kyi would have assumed the office of Prime Minister; in fact, however, as she wasnt permitted, she did not stand as a candidate in the elections (although being a MP isnt a strict prerequisite for becoming PM in most parliamentary systems). Instead, the results were nullified, and the military refused to hand over power. This resulted in an international outcry. Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest at her home on University Avenue () in Rangoon. During her arrest, she was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990, and the Nobel Peace Prize the year after. Her sons Alexander and Kim accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf. Aung San Suu Kyi used the Nobel Peace Prize's 1.3 million USD prize money to establish a health and education trust for the Burmese people. Around this time, Suu Kyi chose non-violence as an expedient political tactic.

1996 attack

On 9 November 1996, the motorcade that she was traveling in with other National League for Democracy leaders Tin Oo and U Kyi Maung, was attacked in Rangoon.

About 200 men swooped on the motorcade, wielding metal chains, metal batons, stones and other weapons. The car that Aung San Suu Kyi was in had its rear window smashed, and the car with Tin Oo and U Kyi Maung had its rear window and two backdoor windows shattered. It is believed the offenders were members of the Union Solidarity Development Association (USDA) who were allegedly paid 500 kyats (USD $5) each to participate. The NLD lodged an official complaint with the police, and according to reports the government launched an investigation, but no action was taken. (Amnesty International 120297)

House arrest

Aung San Suu Kyi has been placed under house arrest on numerous occasions since she began her political career, totalling 15 of the past 21 years. During these periods, she had been prevented from meeting her party supporters and international visitors. In an interview, Suu Kyi said that while under house arrest she spent her time reading philosophy, politics and biographies that her husband had sent her. She would also occupy her time by playing the piano and was occasionally allowed visits from foreign diplomats as well as her personal doctor.

The media have also been prevented from visiting. In 1998, journalist Maurizio Giuliano, after photographing her, was stopped by customs officials, and all his films, tapes and some notes were confiscated. Suu Kyi met the leader of Burma, General Than Shwe, accompanied by General Khin Nyunt on 20 September 1994, while under house arrest. It was the first meeting since she had been placed in detention. On several occasions during Suu Kyi's house arrest, she has had periods of poor health and as a result has been hospitalized.

Suu Kyi continued to be imprisoned under the 1975 State Protection Act (Article 10 b), which grants the government the power to imprison people for up to five years without a trial, and the Law to Safeguard the State Against the Dangers of Those Desiring to Cause Subversive Acts (Article 10 a), as Suu Kyi is "likely to undermine the community peace and stability" of the country. She has appealed against her detention. Many nations and figures have continued to call for her release and that of 2,100 other political prisoners in the country. On 12 November 2010, days after the junta-backed party – Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) – won the elections which were conducted after a gap of almost 20 years, the junta finally agreed to sign orders allowing Suu Kyi's release. Her house arrest term came to an end on 13 November 2010.

UN involvement

The UN has attempted to facilitate dialogue between the junta and Suu Kyi. On 6 May 2002, following secret confidence-building negotiations led by the UN, the government released her; a government spokesman said that she was free to move "because we are confident that we can trust each other". Aung San Suu Kyi proclaimed "a new dawn for the country". However on 30 May 2003, a government-sponsored mob attacked her caravan in the northern village of Depayin, murdering and wounding many of her supporters. Aung San Suu Kyi fled the scene with the help of her driver, Ko Kyaw Soe Lin, but was arrested upon reaching Ye-U. The government imprisoned her at Insein Prison in Rangoon. After she underwent a hysterectomy in September 2003, the government again placed her under house arrest in Rangoon.

The results from the UN facilitation have been mixed; Razali Ismail, UN special envoy to Burma, met with Aung San Suu Kyi. Ismail resigned from his post the following year, partly because he was denied re-entry to Burma on several occasions. Several years later in 2006, Ibrahim Gambari, UN Undersecretary-General (USG) of Department of Political Affairs, met with Aung San Suu Kyi, the first visit by a foreign official since 2004. He also met with Suu Kyi later the same year. On 2 October 2007 Gambari returned to talk to her again after seeing Than Shwe and other members of the senior leadership in Naypyidaw. State television broadcast Suu Kyi with Gambari, stating that they had met twice. This was Suu Kyi's first appearance in state media in the four years since her current detention began.

The United Nations Working Group for Arbitrary Detention rendered an Opinion (No. 9 of 2004) that her deprivation of liberty was arbitrary, as being in contravention of Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948, and requested that the authorities in Burma set her free, but the authorities had thus far ignored this request.

Such claims were rejected by Brig-General Khin Yi, Chief of Myanmar Police Force (MPF). On 18 January 2007, the state-run paper ''New Light of Myanmar'' accused Suu Kyi of tax evasion for spending her Nobel Prize money outside of the country. The accusation followed the defeat of a US-sponsored United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Burma as a threat to international security; the resolution was defeated because of strong opposition from China, which has strong ties with the military junta (China later voted against the resolution, along with Russia and South Africa).

In November 2007, it was reported that Suu Kyi would meet her political allies National League for Democracy along with a government minister. The ruling junta made the official announcement on state TV and radio just hours after UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari ended his second visit to Burma. The NLD confirmed that it had received the invitation to hold talks with Suu Kyi. However, the process delivered few concrete results.

On 3 July 2009, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon went to Burma to pressure the junta into releasing Suu Kyi and to institute democratic reform. However, on departing from Burma, Ban Ki-moon said he was "disappointed" with the visit after junta leader Than Shwe refused permission for him to visit Suu Kyi, citing her ongoing trial. Ban said he was "deeply disappointed that they have missed a very important opportunity."

Periods under detention

20 July 1989: Placed under house arrest in Rangoon under martial law that allows for detention without charge or trial for three years. 10 July 1995: Released from house arrest. 23 September 2000: Placed under house arrest. 6 May 2002: Released after 19 months. 30 May 2003: Arrested following the Depayin massacre, she was held in secret detention for more than three months before being returned to house arrest. 25 May 2007: House arrest extended by one year despite a direct appeal from U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to General Than Shwe. 24 October 2007: Reached 12 years under house arrest, solidarity protests held at 12 cities around the world. 27 May 2008: House arrest extended for another year, which is illegal under both international law and Burma's own law.

11 August 2009: House arrest extended for 18 more months because of "violation" arising from the May 2009 trespass incident.

13 November 2010: Released from house arrest.

2007 anti-government protests

Protests led by Buddhist monks began on 19 August 2007 following steep fuel price increases, and continued each day, despite the threat of a crackdown by the military.

On 22 September 2007, although still under house arrest, Suu Kyi made a brief public appearance at the gate of her residence in Rangoon to accept the blessings of Buddhist monks who were marching in support of human rights. It was reported that she had been moved the following day to Insein Prison (where she had been detained in 2003), but meetings with UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari near her Rangoon home on 30 September and 2 October established that she remained under house arrest.

2009 trespass incident

On 3 May 2009, an American man, identified as John Yettaw, swam across Inya Lake to her house uninvited and was arrested when he made his return trip three days later. He had attempted to make a similar trip two years earlier, but for unknown reasons was turned away. He later claimed at trial that he was motivated by a divine vision requiring him to notify her of an impending terrorist assassination attempt. On 13 May, Suu Kyi was arrested for violating the terms of her house arrest because the swimmer, who pleaded exhaustion, was allowed to stay in her house for two days before he attempted the swim back. Suu Kyi was later taken to Insein Prison, where she could have faced up to five years confinement for the intrusion. The trial of Suu Kyi and her two maids began on 18 May and a small number of protesters gathered outside. Diplomats and journalists were barred from attending the trial; however, on one occasion, several diplomats from Russia, Thailand and Singapore and journalists were allowed to meet Suu Kyi. The prosecution had originally planned to call 22 witnesses. It also accused John Yettaw of embarrassing the country. During the ongoing defence case, Suu Kyi said she was innocent. The defence was allowed to call only one witness (out of four), while the prosecution was permitted to call 14 witnesses. The court rejected two character witnesses, NLD members Tin Oo and Win Tin, and permitted the defense to call only a legal expert. According to one unconfirmed report, the junta was planning to, once again, place her in detention, this time in a military base outside the city. In a separate trial, Yettaw said he swam to Suu Kyi's house to warn her that her life was "in danger". The national police chief later confirmed that Yettaw was the "main culprit" in the case filed against Suu Kyi. According to aides, Suu Kyi spent her 64th birthday in jail sharing biryani rice and chocolate cake with her guards.

Her arrest and subsequent trial received worldwide condemnation by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations Security Council, Western governments, South Africa, Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Burma is a member. The Burmese government strongly condemned the statement, as it created an "unsound tradition" and criticised Thailand for meddling in its internal affairs. The Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win was quoted in the state-run newspaper ''New Light of Myanmar'' as saying that the incident "was trumped up to intensify international pressure on Burma by internal and external anti-government elements who do not wish to see the positive changes in those countries' policies toward Burma". Ban responded to an international campaign by flying to Burma to negotiate, but Than Shwe rejected all of his requests.

On 11 August 2009 the trial concluded with Suu Kyi being sentenced to imprisonment for three years with hard labour. This sentence was commuted by the military rulers to further house arrest of 18 months. On 14 August, U.S. Senator Jim Webb visited Burma, visiting with junta leader Gen. Than Shwe and later with Suu Kyi. During the visit, Webb negotiated Yettaw's release and deportation from Burma. Following the verdict of the trial, lawyers of Suu Kyi said they would appeal against the 18-month sentence. On 18 August, United States President Barack Obama asked the country's military leadership to set free all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi. In her appeal, Aung San Suu Kyi had argued that the conviction was unwarranted. However, her appeal against the August sentence was rejected by a Burmese court on 2 October 2009. Although the court accepted the argument that the 1974 constitution, under which she had been charged, was null and void, it also said the provisions of the 1975 security law, under which she has been kept under house arrest, remained in force. The verdict effectively meant that she would be unable to participate in the elections scheduled to take place in 2010 – the first in Burma in two decades. Her lawyer stated that her legal team would pursue a new appeal within 60 days.

2009: International pressure for release, and Burmese general election 2010

It was announced prior to the Burmese general election that Aung San Suu Kyi may be released "so she can organize her party," However, Suu Kyi was not allowed to run. On 1 October 2010 the government announced that she would be released on 13 November 2010.

Burma's relaxing stance, such as releasing political prisoners, was influenced in the wake of successful recent diplomatic visits by the US and other democratic governments, urging or encouraging the Burmese towards democratic reform. U.S. President Barack Obama personally advocated for the release of all political prisoners, especially Aung San Suu Kyi, during the US-ASEAN Summit of 2009.

Democratic governments hoped that successful general elections would be an optimistic indicator of the Burmese governments sincerity towards eventual democracy. The Hatoyama government which spent 2.82 billion yen in 2008, has promised more Japanese foreign aid to encourage Burma to release Aung San Suu Kyi in time for the elections; and to continue moving towards democracy and the rule of law.

In a personal letter to Suu Kyi, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown cautioned the Burmese government of the potential consequences of rigging elections as "condemning Burma to more years of diplomatic isolation and economic stagnation".

The Burmese government has been granting Suu Kyi varying degrees of freedom throughout late 2009, in response to international pressure. She has met with many heads of state, and opened a dialog with labor minister Aung Kyi (not to be confused with Aung San Suu Kyi).

Suu Kyi was allowed to meet with senior members of her NLD party at the State House, however these meeting took place under close supervision.

2010 release

On the evening of 13 November 2010, Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest. This was the date her detention had been set to expire according to a court ruling in August 2009 and came six days after a widely criticized general election. She appeared in front of a crowd of her supporters, who rushed to her house in Rangoon when nearby barricades were removed by the security forces. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate had been detained for 15 of the past 21 years. The government newspaper ''New Light of Myanmar'' reported the release positively, saying she had been granted a pardon after serving her sentence "in good conduct". The New York Times suggested that the military government may have released Suu Kyi because it felt it was in a confident position to control her supporters after the election. The role that Aung San Suu Kyi will play in the future of democracy in Burma remains a subject of much debate.

Her son Kim Aris was granted a visa in November 2010 to see his mother, Aung San Suu Kyi, shortly after her release, for the first time in 10 years. He visited again in July 5, 2011, to accompany her on a trip to Bagan, her first trip outside Yangon since 2003. Her son visited again in August 8, 2011, to accompany her on a trip to Pegu, her second trip.

International support

Aung San Suu Kyi has received vocal support from Western nations in Europe, Australia and North and South America, as well as India, Japan and South Korea. In December 2007, the US House of Representatives voted unanimously 400–0 to award Aung San Suu Kyi the Congressional Gold Medal; the Senate concurred on 25 April 2008. On 6 May 2008, President George Bush signed legislation awarding Suu Kyi the Congressional Gold Medal. She is the first recipient in American history to receive the prize while imprisoned. More recently, there has been growing criticism of her detention by Burma's neighbours in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, particularly from Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore. At one point Malaysia warned Burma that it faced expulsion from ASEAN as a result of the detention of Suu Kyi. Other nations including South Africa, Bangladesh and the Maldives have also called for her release. The United Nations has urged the country to move towards inclusive national reconciliation, the restoration of democracy, and full respect for human rights. In December 2008, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution condemning the human rights situation in Burma and calling for Suu Kyi's release—80 countries voting for the resolution, 25 against and 45 abstentions. Other nations, such as China and Russia, are less critical of the regime and prefer to cooperate only on economic matters. Indonesia has urged China to push Burma for reforms. However, Samak Sundaravej, former Prime Minister of Thailand, criticised the amount of support for Suu Kyi, saying that "Europe uses Aung San Suu Kyi as a tool. If it's not related to Aung San Suu Kyi, you can have deeper discussions with Myanmar." U2 supported her on their 2009 U2 360° Tour by encouraging fans to wear masks with her likeness on them during the band's performance of the song "Walk On", which was originally written for her, and in some cities they welcomed Amnesty International volunteers on stage again during the performance of the song, carrying lanterns in her tribute. In 2005, Irish singer songwriter Damien Rice released the single Unplayed Piano in support of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Vietnam, however, does not support calls by other ASEAN member states for Myanmar to free Aung San Suu Kyi, state media reported Friday, 14 August 2009. The state-run Việt Nam News said Vietnam had no criticism of Myanmar's decision 11 August 2009 to place Suu Kyi under house arrest for the next 18 months, effectively barring her from elections scheduled for 2010. "It is our view that the Aung San Suu Kyi trial is an internal affair of Myanmar", Vietnamese government spokesman Le Dung stated on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In contrast with other ASEAN member states, Dung said Vietnam has always supported Myanmar and hopes it will continue to implement the "roadmap to democracy" outlined by its government.

Nobel Peace Prize

Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. The decision of the Nobel Committee mentions:

Nobel Peace Prize winners (Archbishop Desmond Tutu, The Dalai Lama, Shirin Ebadi, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Mairead Corrigan, Rigoberta Menchú, Prof. Elie Wiesel, U.S. President Barack Obama, Betty Williams, Jody Williams and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter) called for the rulers of Burma to release Suu Kyi "create the necessary conditions for a genuine dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all concerned parties and ethnic groups in order to achieve an inclusive national reconciliation with the direct support of the United Nations." Some of the money she received as part of the award helps fund London-based charity Prospect Burma, which provides higher education grants to Burmese students.

Organizations

Freedom Now, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization, was retained in 2006 by a distant member of her family living in exile to help secure Aung San Suu Kyi's release from house arrest. The organization secured a positive judgment from the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and has been conducting political and public relations advocacy on her behalf.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been an honorary board member of International IDEA and ARTICLE 19 since her detention, and has received support from these organisations.

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the Université catholique de Louvain, both located in Belgium, have granted her the title of Doctor Honoris Causa. In 2003, the Freedom Forum recognized Suu Kyi's efforts to promote democracy peacefully with the Al Neuharth Free Spirit of the Year Award, in which she was presented over satellite because she was under house arrest. She was awarded one million dollars. In June of each year, the U.S. Campaign for Burma organizes hundreds of "Arrest Yourself" house parties around the world in support of Aung San Suu Kyi. At these parties, the organizers keep themselves under house arrest for 24 hours, invite their friends, and learn more about Burma and Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Freedom Campaign, a joint effort between the Human Rights Action Center and US Campaign for Burma, looks to raise worldwide attention to the struggles of Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma.

The Burma Campaign UK is a UK based NGO (Non Governmental Organisation) that aims to raise awareness of Burma's struggles and follow the guidelines established by the NLD and Aung San Suu Kyi.

St. Hugh's College, Oxford, where she studied, had a Burmese theme for their annual ball in support of her in 2006.

Aung San Suu Kyi is the official patron of The Rafto Human Rights House in Bergen, Norway. She received the Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize in 1990.

She was made an honorary free person of the City of Dublin, Ireland in November 1999, although a space had been left on the roll of signatures to symbolize her continued detention.

In November 2005 the human rights group Equality Now proposed Aung Sun Suu Kyi as a potential candidate, among other qualifying women, for the position of U.N. Secretary General. In the proposed list of qualified women Suu Kyi is recognised by Equality Now as the Prime Minister-Elect of Burma. The UN' special envoy to Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, met Aung San Suu Kyi on 10 March 2008 before wrapping up his trip to the military-ruled country. Aung San Suu Kyi is an honorary member of The Elders, a group of eminent global leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela. Her ongoing detention means that she is unable to take an active role in the group, so The Elders place an empty chair for her at their meetings. The Elders have consistently called for the release of all political prisoners in Burma.

In 2008, Burma’s devoted human rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize, was welcomed as Club of Madrid Honorary Member.

In 2011 Aung San Suu Kyi is the Guest Director of the 45th Brighton Festival

In June 2011, the BBC announced that Aung San Suu Kyi was to deliver the 2011 Reith Lectures. The BBC covertly recorded two lectures with Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma, which were then smuggled out of the country and brought back to London. The lectures will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service on June 28, 2011 and July 5, 2011.

Books

Authored

''Der Weg zur Freiheit'' (1999) with U Kyi Maung, U Tin Oo, ISBN 978-3404614356

''Letters from Burma'' (1998) with Fergal Keane ISBN 978-0140264036

''The Voice of Hope'' (1998) with Alan Clements, ISBN 978-1888363838, fully updated and re-issued in October 2008 by Rider Books, ISBN 978-1846041433

''Letter to Daniel: Despatches from the Heart'' (1996) by Fergal Keane, foreword by Aung San Suu Kyi, edited by Tony Grant ISBN 978-0140262896

''Freedom from Fear and other Writings'' (1995) with Václav Havel, Desmond M. Tutu, and Michael Aris, ISBN 978-0140253177

''Burma's Revolution of the Spirit: The Struggle for Democratic Freedom and Dignity'' (1994) with Alan Clements, Leslie Kean, the Dalai Lama, Sein Win, ISBN 978-0893815806

''Aung San of Burma: A Biographical Portrait by His Daughter'' (1991) ISBN 978-1870838801, 2nd edition 1995

''Aung San (Leaders of Asia Series)'' (1990) ISBN 978-9990288834

''Burma and India: Some aspects of intellectual life under colonialism'' (1990) ISBN 978-8170231349

''Bhutan (Let's Visit Series)'' (1986) ISBN 978-0222010995

''Nepal (Let's Visit Series)'' (1985) ISBN 978-0222009814

''Burma (Let's Visit Series)'' (1985) ISBN 978-0222009791

Edited

''Tibetan Studies in Honour of Hugh Richardson''. Edited by Michael Aris and Aung San Suu Kyi. (1979). Vikas Publishing house, New Delhi.

Awards

Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding (1993) Prize For Freedom of the Liberal International (1995) Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia (1996) Doctor of Laws Honorary degree from the University of Bath (1998)

Freedom of Dublin City,Ireland (1999)

Presidential Medal of Freedom (2000) UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence (2002) Gwangju Prize for Human Rights (2004)

Olof Palme Prize (2005)

Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) from Memorial University of Newfoundland (2004) Freedom from Fear award (2006) Honorary Canadian citizenship (2007) Honorary President of the LSESU (2007) Doctorate of Letters (honoris causa) from Colgate University (2008) Congressional Gold Medal (2008) Premi Internacional Catalunya (2008)

Honorary Member of the Club of Madrid (2008)

Freedom Of Glasgow (2009) Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Peace and Reconciliation (2009) Honorary Doctor of Laws from University of Ulster in recognition of her services to human rights (2009) Ambassador of Conscience Award (2009) from Amnesty International

Popular media

She was portrayed by Adelle Lutz in John Boorman's 1995 motion picture ''Beyond Rangoon'', which takes place during the 8888 Uprising.

In a list compiled by the British magazine ''New Statesman'' in 2006, she was voted as number one among the "50 Heroes of Our Time". Other "heroes" mentioned were Nelson Mandela, Noam Chomsky, Bill Gates, and Bono. The 2000 song "Walk On" by U2 is about her, according to Bono. Suu Kyi was regularly mentioned as the song was played during 2001's Elevation Tour. During the 2009 leg of the 360° Tour, the band invited fans to wear masks of Suu Kyi's face (printable from their website) during the song "Walk On". ''The Lady Of Burma'', a play written by Richard Shannon and staged in the London Old Vic, dealt with the life of Aung San Suu Kyi and received rave reviews in the UK press, including ''The Independent''. She was voted as number 34 among "The World's 50 Most Influential Figures 2010" by the British magazine ''New Statesman''.

"Unplayed Piano" by Damien Rice was released in Ireland on 17 June 2005 and in the UK on 20 June 2005 to coincide with Aung San Suu Kyi's 60th birthday. The song was written for Suu Kyi following a visit by Damien to Burma in July 2004. Proceeds from the sale of the single go to the Burma Campaign UK. Rice and Hannigan recorded a charity song, campaigning for her release, called "Unplayed Piano", which they performed at the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo.

Actress Michelle Yeoh is portraying Aung San Suu Kyi in the 2011 film "The Lady", directed by Luc Besson.

See also

Human rights in Burma

List of female Nobel laureates

National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma

Burma VJ

Foreign relations of Burma

Footnotes

Bibliography

Miller, J. E. (2001). ''Who's who in contemporary women's writing.'' Routledge.

Reid, R., Grosberg, M. (2005). ''Myanmar (Burma).'' Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1740596954.

Stewart, Whitney (1997). ''Aung San Suu Kyi: fearless voice of Burma.'' Twenty-First Century Books. ISBN 978-0822549314.

Further reading

''Aung San Suu Kyi (Modern Peacemakers)'' (2007) by Judy L. Hasday, ISBN 978-0791094358

''The Lady: Aung San Suu Kyi: Nobel Laureate and Burma's Prisoner'' (2002) by Barbara Victor, ISBN 978-0571211777, or 1998 hardcover: ISBN 978-0571199440

''Perfect Hostage: A Life of Aung San Suu Kyi'' (2007) by Justin Wintle, ISBN 978-0091796815

''Tyrants: The World's 20 Worst Living Dictators'' (2006) by David Wallechinsky, ISBN 978-0060590048

''Aung San Suu Kyi (Trailblazers of the Modern World)'' (2004) by William Thomas, ISBN 978-0836852639

''No Logo: No Space, No Choice, No Jobs'' (2002) by Naomi Klein ISBN 978-0312421434

''Mental culture in Burmese crisis politics: Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy (ILCAA Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa Monograph Series)'' (1999) by Gustaaf Houtman, ISBN 978-4872977486

'' Hidden Agendas'' (1998) by John Pilger, ISBN 978-0099741510

''Aung San Suu Kyi: Standing Up for Democracy in Burma (Women Changing the World)'' (1998) by Bettina Ling ISBN 978-1558611979

''Prisoner for Peace: Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma's Struggle for Democracy (Champions of Freedom Series)'' (1994) by John Parenteau, ISBN 978-1883846053

''Des femmes prix Nobel de Marie Curie à Aung San Suu Kyi, 1903–1991'' (1992) by Charlotte Kerner, Nicole Casanova, Gidske Anderson, ISBN 978-2721004277

''Aung San Suu Kyi, towards a new freedom'' (1998) by Chin Geok Ang ISBN 978-9814024303

''Aung San Suu Kyi's struggle: Its principles and strategy'' (1997) by Mikio Oishi ISBN 978-9839861068

''Finding George Orwell in Burma'' (2004) by Emma Larkin ISBN 0143037110

''Character Is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember'' (2005) by John McCain, Mark Salter. Random House ISBN 978-1400064120

''The Political Thought of Aung San Suu Kyi by Josef Siverstein (1996)''

''Under the Dragon: A Journey Through Burma'' (1998/2010) by Rory MacLean ISBN 978-1-84511-622-4

External links

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's pages

The Voice of Her People: Aung San Suu Kyi

Suu Kyi Freed After 15 Years – video report by ''Democracy Now!''

Burma's Suu Kyi, Free at Last – slideshow by ''Der Spiegel''

Habeas-Corpus.net, a pro Justice and Democracy web dedicates a page to Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma.

"If We Want Change, We Have to Make It Happen" Nov 2010 interview with Suu Kyi by Aung Zaw

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Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
Name	Than Shwe
Office	Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council of Myanmar
Deputy	Vice Senior General Maung Aye
Term start	23 April 1992
Term end	30 March 2011
Predecessor	Senior General Saw Maung
Successor	Thein Sein (President)
Office2	Prime Minister of Myanmar
Term start2	23 April 1992
Term end2	25 August 2003
Predecessor2	Saw Maung
Successor2	Khin Nyunt
Office3	Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Myanmar
Term start3	23 April 1992
Term end3	30 March 2011
Deputy3	Vice Senior General Maung Aye
Predecessor3	Senior General Saw Maung
Successor3	General Min Aung Hlaing
Birth date	February 02, 1933
Birth place	Kyaukse, British Burma (now Myanmar)
Spouse	Kyaing Kyaing }}

Senior General Than Shwe (; ; born 3 February 1933) is a Burmese military leader and politician who was chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) from 1992 to 2011. During the period, he held key positions of power including commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces and head of Union Solidarity and Development Association. In 2011, he officially resigned from his position as head of state, in favor of his hand-picked successor, Thein Sein.

Early life

Than Shwe was born in Minzu village, near Kyaukse, British Burma in 1933. In 1951, Than Shwe attended Government High School in Kyaukse. He took up employment at the Meikhtila Post Office as a postal clerk in 1952. Later he enlisted in the Burmese Army and partook in the ninth in take of Army Officer Training School.

Military career and rise to power

After graduating from the Officer Training School, Second Lieutenant Than Shwe was posted to No. 1 Infantry Battalion as a squad leader on 11 July 1953. He was promoted to platoon commander with the rank of Lieutenant on 11 July 1955 and to Company Commander with the rank of Captain in 21 February 1957 in the same battalion. He was involved in military operation carried out by No. 1 Infantry Battalion in Karen State, Southern Shan State and Eastern Thanlwin area.

On 26 February 1958, Than Shwe was transferred to the newly established Directorate of Education and Psychological warfare within the War Office. He was posted as a Company Commander to No. 1 Psychological Warfare Battalion under Northern Regional Military Command on 9 December 1961. He became Psychological Warfare Officer of 3rd Infantry Brigade on 4 December 1961. On 18 December 1963, he was transferred to Central Political College as an instructor. He was posted to 101 Light Infantry Battalion as a temporary company commander for battalion headquarter unit.

Than Shwe was promoted to the rank of Major and posted to the 77th Light Infantry Division on 27 January 1969. He was involved in various military operations carried out by the 77th in Karen Sate, Irrawady Delta region and Bago Hills. He was transferred to Operations Planning Department within the Office of Chief of Staff (ARMY) as a General Staff Officer (G2) on 16 December, 1969.

He became a temporary commander of No. 1 Infantry Battalion on 23 August 1971 and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel on 7 September 1972. As the commanding officer of No. 1 Infantry Battalion, he was involved in offensive operations against various insurgents carried out by the 88th Light Infantry Division in Bhamo region, northern Shan State, southern Shan State, and eastern Shan State. He was transferred back to Operations Planning Department within the Office of Chief of Staff (ARMY) as a General Staff Officer (G1) on 4 August 1975. On 26 March 1977, Than Shwe became a colonel and deputy commander of the 88th Light Infantry Division on 2 May 1978.

Than Shwe became commanding officer of the 88th on 29 March 1980. He oversaw the various operation such as Operation Ye Naing Aung, Operation Nay Min Yang and Operation Min Yan Aung carried out by the 88th. In 1981, Than Shwe was elected as a member of the ruling Burma Socialist Programme Party's Central Executive Committee during the fourth session of Party's conference.

He was posted to the South Western Regional Military Command as the commanding officer on 22 July 1983 and subsequently became chairman of Irrawaddy Division Party Committee on 5 August 1983. He became a brigadier general on 16 August 1984. Than Shwe became Vice Chief of Staff (ARMY) on 4 November 1985.

Than Shwe was promoted to the rank of major general on 4 November 1986 and to the rank of lieutenant general on 4 November 1987. He became Deputy Minister of Defence on 27 July 1988.

After the military coup on 18 September 1988 after the democracy uprising of 1988, Than Shwe became Vice Chairman of State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), 21-member military cabinet headed by General Saw Maung. He was promoted to the rank of full General and became Vice Commander in Chief of Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw) and Commander in Chief of Myanmar Army on 18 March 1990.

On 23 April 1992, Senior General Saw Maung unexpectedly resigned citing health reasons, Than Shwe elevated himself to the rank of Senior General and replaced Senior General Saw Maung as head of State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) and Commander in Chief of Myanmar Armed Forces.

Style of leadership

Than Shwe relaxed some state control over the economy, and was a supporter of Burma's participation in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). He also oversaw a large crackdown on corruption, which saw the sackings of a number of cabinet ministers and regional commanders in 1997.

The convention for the "Discipline Democracy New Constitution" was convened from 9 January 1993 to 3 September 2007, a period of more than 14 years and 8 months. Although the main opposition party, National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi, which won the multi-party democracy general election in 1990, did not participate, the chairman of National Convention Lieutenant General Thein Sein announced that the creation of the "Constitution" had been accomplished.

Than Shwe has continued the suppression of the free press in Burma, and has overseen the detention of journalists who oppose his regime. While he oversaw the release of Aung San Suu Kyi during the late 1990s, he also oversaw her return to detention in 2003. Despite his relaxation of some restrictions on Burma's economy, his economic policies have been often criticized as ill-planned.

He maintains a low profile. He tends to be seen as being sullen, humorless and rather withdrawn, a hardliner, skilled manipulator and an opponent of the democratization of Burma. He marks national holidays and ceremonies with messages in the state-run newspapers, but rarely talks to the press. The lavish wedding of his daughter, involving diamonds and champagne, was particularly controversial in a country whose people continue to suffer enormous poverty and enforced austerity.

For many years, Than Shwe was seen as something of a figurehead as head of state, with the power over policy being held by his ministers. More recent reports suggest that, in recent years, he has been consolidating his power over the country. When he reached the mandatory retirement age of 60, he simply extended it, and remained in power until the 2010 elections, where he was 77 years old.

Power struggles have plagued Burma's military leadership. Than Shwe has been linked to the toppling and arrest of Prime Minister Khin Nyunt in 2004, which has significantly increased his own power. The former premier, who said he supported Aung San Suu Kyi's involvement in the National Convention, was seen as a moderate at odds with the junta's hardliners.

Than Shwe is said to rely heavily on advice from his soothsayers, a style of ruling dating back to Ne Win, a leader who once shot his mirror to avoid bad luck.

In May and November 2006 he met with the United Nations special envoy Ibrahim Gambari in the newly-built capital of Naypyidaw, which had replaced Yangon in the previous year, and permitted Gambari to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi. However, Than Shwe refused to meet Gambari when he visited Burma in November 2007 and again on 10 March 2008.

In early May 2008, Than Shwe refused many foreign aid workers from entering the country in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis (May 2, 2008). This led to many criticisms from the UN as well as the international community.

In early July 2009, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon visited Burma and held talks with General Than Shwe. The military junta rejected UN Secretary General's request to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi. Than Shwe also commented on the upcoming 2010 Burmese election, saying that by the time the UN chief next visits Burma, ""I will be an ordinary citizen, a lay person, and my colleagues will too because it will be a civilian government."

On 27 August 2010, rumors surfaced that Than Shwe and his deputy, Gen. Maung Aye, along with six other top military officers, had resigned their military posts, and that he was expected to remain head of state until at least the end of the 2011 fiscal year, when he would transfer his position to the elected president. The rumor was proven false as the Burmese state media referred to him as Senior General three days later.

Health and family

Than Shwe's wife, Kyaing Kyaing, is an ethnic Pa-O. They have five daughters, Aye Aye Thit Shwe, Dewa Shwe, Khin Pyone Shwe, Kyi Kyi Shwe, and Thandar Shwe, and three sons, Kyaing San Shwe, Thant Zaw Shwe and Htun Naing Shwe. Than Shwe is known to be a diabetic, and he is rumored to have intestinal cancer. He rarely makes public appearances.

Than Shwe flew to Singapore on 31 December 2006. Concerns about Than's health intensified after he failed to appear at an official Independence Day dinner for military leaders, officials, and diplomats on 4 January 2007. It was the first time since he took power in 1992 that Than did not host the annual dinner. Than Shwe had checked out of Singapore's General Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment, and returned to Burma two weeks later.

In 2006, a home video footage of the wedding of Than Shwe's daughter, Thandar Shwe, was leaked on the Internet, which sparked controversy and criticism from Burmese and foreign media for the lavish and seemingly ostentatious reception.

After days of anti-government protests, there were unconfirmed reports that Than Shwe's wife and pets fled the country on 27 September 2007, possibly to Laos.

International media

Than Shwe ranked No. 4 on Parade Magazine's 2009 "World's Worst Dictators" list. He also ranked No. 2 on Listverse's Top Ten Worst Living Dictators list.

See also

Naypyidaw

Tatmadaw

References

Bibliography

Johnson, Robert (2005). ''A region in turmoil: South Asian conflicts since 1947.'' Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1-86189-257-7.

External links

Than Shwe Watch at the ''Irrawaddy''

Than Shwe's daughter's wedding - YouTube

Than Shwe at WN

Than Shew's search/Information from Myanmar Search Engine

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Category:1933 births Category:Burma Socialist Programme Party politicians Category:Burmese generals Category:People with cancer Category:Heads of state Category:Living people Category:People from Mandalay Region

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