Awards of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

66   MTV Humanitarian Award, "Free Your Mind"

       MTV Europe, EDINBURGH, UK 2003

_________________________________________________________________________

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi´s life

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was born in Rangoon, Burma, on June 19, 1945. She is the daughter of Daw Khin Kyi, Burma's only woman ambassador (to India and Nepal), and late national leader General Aung San, the architect of Burma's independence, who was assassinated in Rangoon on July 19, 1947, along with six members of his pre-independence cabinet.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was educated in Rangoon until the age of 15 and continued her studies at Delhi University when she accompanied her Ambassador mother to New Delhi. She completed her BA in philosophy, politics, and economics at St. Hugh's College, Oxford University, and was elected Honorary Fellow in 1990.

From 1969 to 1971, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was the Assistant Secretary, Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, United Nations Secretariat, New York.

In 1972, Daw Aung Suu Kyi worked as the Research Officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bhutan, and got married to a British scholar Dr. Michael Aris. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has two sons, Alexander, born in London (1973), and Kim in Oxford in 1977.

She studied at the Center of Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, as a visiting scholar (1985-86).

In 1987, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi completed her fellowship at the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Simla.

In 1988, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi returned to Burma to attend to her ailing mother. When nationwide mass demonstrations for democracy started in August, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi took a leading role in the movement, addressing half a million people at the famous Shwedagon rally on 23 August.

24 September 1988: The National League for Democracy (NLD) was founded with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as general secretary following an announcement by the military, which took control of the country in a 18 September coup, that "fair and free" elections would be held on May 27 1990. In asserting control, the military gunned down hundreds of demonstrators and formed the State Law and Order Restoration Council.

Following the coup and until July 1989, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as NLD leader delivered over a hundred public addresses, encouraging people to fight for their rights despite their fears, and extensively toured the whole country, including Rangoon, Pegu, Magwe, Sagaing, Mandalay, Moulmein, Tavoy, Mergui, Pakkoku, Taunggyi, Kyaukpadaung, Monywa, Myinmu, Myitkyina, and so forth.

July 1989: The military placed Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest. Amnesty International declared Daw Aung San Suu Kyi a prisoner of conscience. (Under pressure from the junta and as a move to prevent the junta from using legal loopholes to ban the party, the NLD announced Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was no longer the general secretary of the party)

May 1990: Despite her continuing detention, and the arrest of other NLD leaders, the party won the election by a landslide, securing 82 percent of the seats, but the military junta refused to honor the election results.

October 12 1990: Thorolf Rafto Foundation of Norway honored Daw Aung San Suu Kyi with the first international award--Thorolf Rafto Award for Human Rights.

July 10, 1991: The 1990 Sakharov Prize (Human Rights Award of the European Parliament) was awarded to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

August 10, 1991: The military regime retroactively amended the law under which Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was held to extend her house arrest for up to five years without charge or trial.

October 14, 1991: The Nobel Peace Committee awarded Daw Aung San Suu Kyi the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.

December 10, 1991: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's "Freedom From Fear" and other works were published in London.

1992: The Nobel Committee revealed that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would use the $1.3 million prize money to establish a health and education trust in support of the Burmese people.

January 21, 1994: The military junta announced that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi could be detained for up to six years under martial law. The regime said an extra year could be added if a three-member committee comprising the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs, and Defense decided to do so.

February 14, 1994: For the first time, people from outside Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's family were allowed to meet her. UN Resident Representative Jehan Raheem, US Congressman Bill Richardson and New York Times reporter Philip Shenon visited Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

September 20, 1994: Junta chairman Than Shwe and Lt Gen Khin Nyunt met Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for the first time since her house arrest.

October 28, 1994: A second meeting was held at the State Guest House between Lt Gen Khin Nyunt and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

July 10, 1995: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest.

July 11, 1994: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi told reporters she was still dedicated to the restoration of democracy in Burma. She called for a dialogue between SLORC, democracy movement, and non-Burman ethnic nationality groups. She also urged foreign businessmen thinking of investing in Burma to wait until democracy was restored.

October 10, 1995: The NLD defied junta's ban on changes in party leadership positions and reappointed her as the party's General Secretary.

November 28, 1995: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, saying that the NLD did not believe that the National Convention being held by the junta would lead the country to democracy, announced that the party was withdrawing from the National Convention.

March 27, 1999: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's husband Michael Aris died of prostrate cancer in London. His last request to visit Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, whom he had last seen in 1995, was rejected by the military junta which said if Daw Aung San Suu Kyi wanted to leave the country she could do so. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi refused the offer or to leave her Rangoon home.

1996--2000: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi defied travel bans imposed against her and continually tried to leave for places outside Rangoon. In March 1996, she boarded the train bound for Mandalay but citing a "last minute problem" the coach she was in was left behind at the station. In July 1998 and August 1998, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi tried to meet NLD members outside Rangoon but police stopped her car on the road to Bassein. On both occasions, she was forced to spend days on the road. After several days they usually seize her car, force her to return home, and drive her car back.

In August 2000, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was once again prevented from visiting NLD youth members in Dala. On 2 September, around 200 riot police surrounded Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's motorcade near Dala and forced them to return to Rangoon after a nine-day standoff. On 21 September, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and NLD Vice Chairman U Tin Oo were arrested together with their supporters when they tried to leave for Mandalay by train.

September 21, 2000: She went to the main railway station with vice chairman of the National League for Democracy (NLD), U Tin Oo, and a number of other party colleagues, planning to travel to the northern city of Mandalay. They have not been permitted to board a train, and they are still in the waiting room with the station itself surrounded by a heavy security presence, preventing visitors from entering the building. A number of opposition supporters have been taken away from the station in military vehicles. Earlier, the authorities blocked the road leading to her house,. The move is the latest challenge to restrictions on opposition movements imposed by the military authorities.

September 23, 2000: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and other party leaders have reportedly been confined to their homes on temporary detention.

October 2000: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi began secret talks with the military junta. Substance of the talks remains secret, and UN Special Envoy Razali is acting as a "facilitator."

December 07, 2000: US President Bill Clinton has conferred America's highest civilian honor on Burma's pro-democracy leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. She was unable to collect the Presidential Medal of Freedom award in person but her son Alexander Aris received the award on her behalf.

January 09, 2001: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi meets senior representatives of SPDC.

January 15, 2001: The military authorities have reportedly ordered a halt to attacks on the opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, in the state-run media. For the first time in years, the Burmese newspapers carried none of the usual poisonous, sarcastic cartoons and commentaries condemning the 53-year-old Nobel peace laureate and her party, the National League for Democracy.

January 22, 2001: The Court in Myanmar has dismissed a suit by the estranged brother of opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi over ownership rights to her home, in another sign the military is easing its crackdown on the pro-democracy figurehead.

January 24, 2001: Twenty activists from the pro-democracy league were released from jail. Vice Chairman U Tin Oo was also released from detention and sent back to his home last night after being held in a military camp for four months. But the visitors are not allowed yet. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, however, remains confined to her residence, with access to her tightly controlled. But, European Union mission is scheduled to visit Myanmar from 01/28/2001 to 01/30/2001.

January 30, 2001: An European Union delegation met with Myanmar pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, only her second reported diplomatic contact during more than four months of house detention. EU spent more than two hours with Suu Kyi at her residence in Yangon, where she has been confined by the military regime since Sept. 22. The EU delegation's four-day visit, is aimed at breaking the decade-long deadlock between the regime and the political opposition led by Suu Kyi. It is the first such EU mission to Myanmar since July 1999.

February 27, 2001: US officials met Myanmar opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the ruling military in the first visit by American diplomats since President George W. Bush took office last month.

April 05, 2001: The first U.N. human rights inspector, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro to visit Myanmar in five years met with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

April 06, 2001: The estranged brother of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is reported to have renewed his attempt to lay legal claim to her home. U Aung San Oo, who lives in the United States, had a previous petition to secure a half share in the family property dismissed by a Burmese court in January.

April 12, 2001: A funeral was held Saturday in Yangon for Khin Gyi, elder sister of Myanmar democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's mother Khin Kyi, who died at aged 93. Friends and relatives attended the funeral at the Yayway cemetery, but Suu Kyi was not seen. Khin Gyi's husband Thakin Than Tun, a communist leader, went underground in March 1948 and rose up in arms against the government three months after Myanmar gained independence from Britain. He died in the jungle in September 1968, assassinated by an aide.

April 28, 2001: More than 30 United States senators have warned President George W. Bush not to ease sanctions against Rangoon lest he send the wrong signal to the military regime as it continues closed-door talks with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The senators said in a letter to the President that any lifting of sanctions on investments could "remove the incentive for the regime to negotiate" with Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi. There was surprise this week when it appeared Japan had decided to reward the military regime merely for talking to the opposition leader by supplying aid to repair a Japanese-built hydro-power dam.

May 27, 2001: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders of Burma's democratic movement were absent from a celebration marking the 11th anniversary of election victory, which was voided by the military government.

June 11, 2001: The brother of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday changed his demand in a legal case against his sister to ask only for an "appropriate share'' of the house she occupies in Yangon. U Aung San Oo, an estranged elder brother living in the United States and holding a U.S. passport, had previously asked in early April for half the property and the right to administer it. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyers originally argued that U Aung San Oo had no right to apply for his sister to be evicted because, as a foreigner living in the United States, he has no right to own property in Myanmar. If he wins the case, U Aung San Oo is expected to turn his share of the house over to the government, a result which would put Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in an extremely precarious position.

July 02 2001: Regime Monday released the cousin of democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from jail, sources said, in the latest sign of progress in talks between the opposition and the junta. Aye Win, a close aide to the Nobel peace laureate, was allowed to leave Yangon's notorious Insein prison Monday after completing a five-year sentence.

August 26, 2001: Burma's ruling military government released two prominent leaders from the National League for Democracy (NLD) yesterday evening just hours before Razali Ismail, UN special-envoy for Burma, arrived in Rangoon. U Aung Shwe and U Tin Oo, chairman and vice-chairman of the NLD, were released after spending over eleven months under house arrest that began last September. Although they have been released from house arrest, they are not able to leave Rangoon. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Aung Shwe, U Tin Oo and six other central committee members of the NLD were put under de facto house arrest after Suu Kyi defied a travel ban by trying to go to Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city, last Sept. 22, 2000. The six other committee members were released Dec. 1. Suu Kyi remains confined to her lakeside home.

August 28, 2001: UN envoy to Myanmar Razali Ismail met with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi at her residence as part of a mission to promote her historic dialogue with the junta. This was UN envoy's fifth visit to Burma. He met again with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and top members of NLD party, and scheduled talks with diplomats and ethnic leaders as he worked to speed democratic reform in Myanmar.

September 09, 2001: The Norwegian Postal Services are contributing to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize by producing a new series of stamps featuring the portraits of Alfred Nobel and seven peace prize recipients. The selection of the eight motives for the stamps was made together with the Norwegian Nobel Institute. In addition to Alfred Nobel, the seven peace laureates are: Henry Dunant (first prize winner, 1901), Fridtjof Nansen (1922), Martin Luther King jr. (1964), Mikhail Gorbatchev (1980), Aung San Suu Kyi (1991), Rigoberta Menchú Tum (1992) and Nelson Mandela (1993). The peace laureates represent different continents and epochs, but the emphasis is on more recent winners.

October 17, 2001: United Nations human rights envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro met with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi after cutting short an upcountry tour of Myanmar for health reasons.

November 29, 2001: UN envoy to Myanmar Razali Ismail met with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as he attempted to speed up the pace of reconciliation between the opposition and ruling junta. This was UN envoy's sixth visit to Burma.

December 08, 2001: Nobel peace prize winners and politicians from around the world have paid tribute to the Burmese opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and called for her release from house arrest. Burma's military government has ignored an international plea to release her, but insists it wants to create what it calls a "functioning democracy" in the country.

January 30, 2002: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has secretly met one of Burma's senior leaders. It appears to be the first meeting with a senior general for some time (and is being seen as a sign that the dialogue process may be on the verge of a significant break-through).

January 31, 2002: UN sources say UN secretary-general's special envoy Mr Razali Ismail's visit to Burma has been postponed to March. Although he was scheduled to arrive on 3 February, sources close to the junta said that the government has cancelled his visit. However, Mr. Razali has proposed to come in early March but the SPDC has not responded yet.

February 18, 2002: U.N. human rights investigator Paulo Sergio Pinheiro met opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday after lengthy interviews with political prisoners in Yangon's main prison. He said he would report on the interviews in a speech to the U.N. Commission for Human Rights on April 4.

February 25, 2002: Burma's Supreme Court heard an appeal from Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyers on Wednesday concerning the drawn-out lawsuit filed by her estranged brother regarding ownership of her home, according to her lawyers.

March 19, 2002: The government of Burma has asked a special U.N. representative Mr. Razali Ismail who has been brokering reconciliation talks with the pro-democracy opposition to postpone a visit on the eve of his arrival in Rangoon. Government said officials were busy because of a reported coup attempt this month.

The Burmese government nearly two weeks ago announced a plot to overthrow the government had been uncovered. Security forces surrounded the residences of former military leader Ne Win and his daughter Sandar Win, placing them under virtual house arrest. They also arrested Ms. Sandar Win's husband and three sons and accused them of fomenting the plot. The chiefs of the air force and police and two regional commanders have also been dismissed and authorities say they are questioning about 100 people.

April 24, 2002: A top U.N. envoy Mr. Razali Ismail arrived in Myanmar on Tuesday to try to spur talks between the military junta and opposition which diplomats say may be the last chance for the generals to show they are serious about political change.

April 25, 2002: U.N. envoy Razali Ismail has met with senior Burmese opposition figures on the third day of his mediation mission in the East Asian country. Mr. Razali met leaders of the National League for Democracy Thursday in Rangoon. He met with National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Later Thursday Mr. Razali is scheduled to have talks with Senior General Than Shwe, the leader of Burma's ruling junta, as he continues efforts to revive stalled democratization efforts. The democratization talks that began in October, 2000, have led to the release of more than 200 political prisoners, but yielded few other results.

May 1, 2002: Daw Aung Sang Suu Kyi has held a private meeting with government leaders, a day after Rangoon-based diplomats said she may soon be freed from house arrest. The top leaders of National League for Democracy party accompanied her to the meeting.

May 6, 2002: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was freed today after 19 months of house arrest, the military government said in a breakthrough toward ending the country's political deadlock. In a written statement released earlier, government spokesman Col. Hla Min said Monday would mark "a new page for the people of Myanmar and the international community." The statement did not mention Suu Kyi by name, but said: "We shall recommit ourselves to allowing all of our citizens to participate freely in the life of our political process, while giving priority to national unity, peace and stability of the country as well as the region."

For more informations www.dassk.org

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi