May 27, 1990 - Suu Kyi

Human Rights a Day

Burma’s military dictatorship refuses to recognize landslide election results. Aung San Suu Kyi was born on June 19, 1945 to Ma Khin Kyi and General Aung San, a commander in the Burmese Independence Army. After his assassination and Burma’s independence from England, his wife took ambassadorial posts abroad. Suu Kyi only returned to Burma in 1988 to look after her mother. It was a time of political strife marked by massive demonstrations and violent retaliation from the military regime. In August of that year, Suu Kyi suggested the government prepare for multi-party elections. Instead, the government outlawed political gatherings and placed harsh restrictions on civil rights. Suu Kyi responded by joining in the political rallies and civil disobedience. When the National League for Democracy (NLD) formed, she emerged as its general secretary. After her mother’s death in December 1988, Suu Kyi pledged to serve her country, like her parents. She endured a life of harassment and imprisonment by house arrest. When the military government called an election in hopes of legitimizing its power, the tides turned. On May 27, 1990, the government was shocked to find that the NLD had garnered 82 per cent of the parliamentary seats, even with Suu Kyi under house arrest. Though they refused to recognize the results, the world voiced its opinion by celebrating when Suu Kyi received the 1991 Nobel Peace prize. She has never again left her country, knowing the government will refuse her re-entry. Her husband Michael Aris, who died of prostate cancer in England in 1999, was refused permission to visit his wife who he had not seen since 1995. Suu Kyi continues her campaign of non-violent protests against one of the world’s most oppressive regimes.