A Portrait of Myanmar's Opposition Leader

Aung San Suu Kyi is a slender woman. She seems fragile but has a surprising amount of energy. She has been ceaselessly fighting for democracy in Myanmar for the last 18 years:

“My role has always been to try to do my duties as the general secretary of the National League for Democracy, which is the party at the service of the people. The party was founded in order to bring democracy to Burma, and that is our task, that is what we have to do. And I, as general secretary of the party must do everything I can to make sure that democracy comes to Burma quickly, and that it comes in the right way.”

Rightful prime minister

Myanmar is a former British colony. Since 1962, the country has been ruled by military regimes. The current junta has been in power since 1989. In 1990, Suu Kyi should have assumed the position of Myanmar’s prime minister because the National League for Democracy won the general election by securing 80 percent of the seats in the parliament.

Instead, Suu Kyi was placed under arrest. The junta ignored the election results and refused to hand over power. Suu Kyi will be released only under the condition she promises to leave the country immediately. But she has decided to stay -- under house arrest. That was one of the reasons why she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

Charismatic politician

Suu Kyi is the daughter of the revolutionary Aung San, who was instrumental in bringing about Myanmar’s independence. Suu Kyi studied at Oxford University in England and married an Oxford lecturor, Michael Aris, with whom she has two sons.

She returned to Myanmar in 1988 to look after her ailing mother . She soon became a successful politician. Her charisma and oratory talent have won her the support of the people.

“I would like change to come as quickly as possible because there is so much that we need to do for our country,” Suu Kyi has said. “I don’t think we can afford to wait. Personally, I don’t think we can even afford to wait another day. Every day that we wait for change means one day lost for our efforts to rebuild our country.”

New hope

The military dictators have mismanaged the country. Many people hope that Suu Kyi will bring about freedom, peace and prosperity. She is educated and inspires trust. Her rhetoric is persuasive and her behaviour is dignified and graceful. Millions of people look up to her.

But supporting her in public is still dangerous. Human rights activists report that the junta frequently arrests supporters of the opposition. They are put in prisons or labour camps without trial, and many of them are tortured. The military regime denies all such accusations. However, the generals have put Suu Kyi under arrest without charge.

Arrested and silenced

Arrested in 1989, released in 1995, arrested again in 2000, and released two years later. Since 2003, Suu Kyi has been under renewed house arrest. She has spent a total of ten years under house arrest.

Often Suu Kyi has started hunger strikes -- once she sat in her car and refused to eat. She had wanted to drive through the country despite her house arrest. When security forces stopped her car on the outskirts of Yangon, she remained sitting in her car in protest for days. Finally, she was led away by force.

Suu Kyi is confined in her house at Inya Lake in Yangon. Her telephone has been tapped. For years, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate has been muzzled. And this is precisely what the generals want.