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[[File:AUNG SAN SUU KYI P6060070 01.jpg|thumb|right|Concepts such as [[truth]], [[justice]] and [[compassion]] cannot be dismissed as trite when these are often the only bulwarks which stand against ruthless [[power]].]]
Daw '''[[w:Aung San Suu Kyi|Aung San Suu Kyi]]''' (born [[19 June]] [[1945]]) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and a 1991 [[w:Nobel Peace Prize|Nobel Peace Prize]] laureate who served as [[w:State Counsellor of Myanmar|State Counsellor of Myanmar]] (equivalent to a [[w:prime minister|prime minister]]) and [[w:Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Myanmar)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]] from 2016 to 2021. She has served as the chairperson of the [[w:National League for Democracy|National League for Democracy]] (NLD) since 2011, having been the general secretary from 1988 to 2011. She played a vital role in [[w:Myanmar|Myanmar]]'s [[w:2011–2015 Myanmar political reforms|transition]] from military junta to partial [[democracy]] in the 2010s. She is a non-violent pro-democracy social activist and winner of the 1990 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Since 2017 she has been widely criticized for silence and inaction regarding the [[w:2016 Rohingya persecution in Myanmar|2016 -]] [[w:2017 Rohingya persecution in Myanmar|2017 persecutions]] of the [[w:Rohingya people|Rohingya people]].
== Quotes ==
[[File:Aung San Suu Kyi speaking to supporters at National League for Democracy (NLD) headquarter.jpg|thumb|It would be difficult to dispel [[ignorance]] unless there is [[freedom]] to pursue the [[truth]] unfettered by [[fear]].]]
[[File:Portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi.JPG|thumb|Please use your [[liberty]] to promote ours.]]
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** First public speech (26 August 1988)
* '''Democracy allows people to have different views, and democracy''' makes it also -- '''makes us also responsible for negotiating an answer for those views.''' [...] So we would like to -- it’s not just a matter of debating the case in parliament and winning Brownie points or Boy Scout points, or whatever they’re called. But it’s just a case of standing up for what we think our country needs. And '''we would like to talk to those who disagree with us. That, again, is what democracy is about. You talk to those who disagree with you; you don’t beat them down. You exchange views. And you come to a compromise, a settlement that would be best for the country. I’ve always said that dialogues and debates are not aimed at achieving victory for one particular party or the other, but victory for our people as a whole.''' [...] We want to build up a strong foundation for national reconciliation, which means reconciliation not just between the different ethnic groups and between different religious groups, but between different ideas -- for example, between the idea of military supremacy and the idea of civilian authority over the military, which is the foundation of democracy.
** [http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/11/14/remarks-president-obama-and-daw-aung-san-suu-kyi-burma-joint-press-confe Remarks by President Obama and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma in Joint Press Conference at Aung San Suu Kyi Residence in Rangoon, Burma on November 14, 2014]
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* But '''despotic governments do not recognize the precious human component of the state, seeing its citizens only as a faceless, mindless - and helpless - mass to be manipulated at will. It is as though people were incidental to a nation rather than its very life-blood. Patriotism''', which '''should be the vital love and care of a people for their land''', is debased into a smokescreen of hysteria to hide the injustices of '''authoritarian rulers''' who '''define the interests of the state in terms of their own limited interests.'''
* '''Weak logic, inconsistencies and alienation from the people are common features of authoritarianism. The relentless attempts of totalitarian regimes to prevent free thought and new ideas and the persistent assertion of their own
* Hope and optimism are irrepressible but there is a deep underlying premonition that the opposition to change is likely to be vicious. Often the anxious question is asked: will such an oppressive regime really give us democracy? And the answer has to be: '''democracy, like liberty, justice and other social and political rights, is not 'given', it is earned through courage, resolution and sacrifice.'''
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* The effort necessary to remain uncorrupted in an environment where fear is an integral part of everyday existence is not immediately apparent to those fortunate enough to live in states governed by the rule of law. Just laws do not merely prevent corruption by meting out impartial punishment to offenders. They also help to create a society in which people can fulfil the basic requirements necessary for the preservation of human dignity without recourse to corrupt practices. Where there are no such laws, the burden of upholding the principles of justice and common decency falls on the ordinary people. It is the cumulative effect on their sustained effort and steady endurance which will change a nation where reason and conscience are warped by fear into one where legal rules exist to promote man's desire for harmony and justice while restraining the less desirable destructive traits in his nature.
* In an age when immense technological advances have created lethal weapons which could be, and are, used by the powerful and the unprincipled to dominate the weak and the helpless, there is a compelling need for a closer relationship between politics and ethics at both the national and international levels. The [[w:Universal Declaration of Human Rights|Universal Declaration of Human Rights]] of the United Nations proclaims that 'every individual and every organ of society' should strive to promote the basic rights and freedoms to which all human beings regardless of race, nationality or religion are entitled. But as long as there are governments whose authority is founded on coercion rather than on the mandate of the people, and interest groups which place short-term profits above long-term peace and prosperity, concerted international action to protect and promote human rights will remain at best a partially realized struggle.
* '''The quintessential revolution is that of the spirit, born of an intellectual conviction of the need for change in those mental attitudes and values which shape the course of a nation's development. A revolution which aims merely at changing official policies and institutions with a view to an improvement in material conditions has little chance of genuine success.''' Without a revolution of the spirit, the forces which produced the iniquities of the old order would continue to be operative, posing a constant threat to the process of reform and regeneration. It is not enough merely to call for freedom, democracy and human rights. There has to be a united determination to persevere in the struggle, to make sacrifices in the name of enduring truths, to resist the corrupting influences of desire, ill will, ignorance and fear.
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[[File:LuMaxArt_Golden_Family_With_World_Religions.jpg|thumb|right|Even if we do not achieve [[perfect]] [[peace]] on [[earth]], because perfect peace is not of this earth, common endeavours to gain peace will [[unite]] [[individuals]] and [[nations]] in [[trust]] and [[friendship]] and [[help]] to make our [[human]] [[community]] safer and kinder.]]
* To be forgotten. The French say that to part is to die a little. '''To be forgotten''' too '''is to die a little. It is to lose some of the links that anchor us to the rest of humanity.'''
* Are we not still guilty, if to a less violent degree, of recklessness, of improvidence with regard to our future and our humanity? '''War is not the only arena where peace is done to death. Wherever suffering is ignored, there will be the seeds of conflict, for suffering degrades and embitters and enrages.'''
* '''If suffering were an unavoidable part of our existence, we should try to alleviate it as far as possible in practical, earthly ways.'''
* As you look at me and listen to me, please remember the often repeated truth that '''one [[w:prisoner of conscience|prisoner of conscience]] is one too many.'''
* '''The peace of our world is indivisible. As long as negative forces are getting the better of positive forces anywhere, we are all at risk.''' It may be questioned whether all negative forces could ever be removed. The simple answer is: “No!” It is in human nature to contain both the positive and the negative. However, it is also within human capability to work to reinforce the positive and to minimize or neutralize the negative. '''Absolute peace in our world is an unattainable goal. But it is one towards which we must continue to journey, our eyes fixed on it as a traveller in a desert fixes his eyes on the one guiding star that will lead him to salvation. Even if we do not achieve perfect peace on earth, because perfect peace is not of this earth, common endeavours to gain peace will unite individuals and nations in trust and friendship and help to make our human community safer and kinder.'''
* Of the sweets of adversity, and let me say that these are not numerous, I have found the sweetest, the most precious of all, is the lesson I learnt on the value of kindness. Every kindness I received, small or big, convinced me that there could never be enough of it in our world. '''To be kind is to respond with sensitivity and human warmth to the hopes and needs of others. Even the briefest touch of kindness can lighten a heavy heart. Kindness can change the lives of people.'''
* ‘Donor fatigue’ expresses itself precisely in the reduction of funding. ‘Compassion fatigue’ expresses itself less obviously in the reduction of concern. One is the consequence of the other. Can we afford to indulge in compassion fatigue? Is the cost of meeting the needs of refugees greater than the cost that would be consequent on turning an indifferent, if not a blind, eye on their suffering? I appeal to donors the world over to fulfill the needs of these people who are in search, often it must seem to them a vain search, of refuge.
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[[File:The Blue Marble.jpg|thumb|right|Why is one of the most important words in any language. You have to know why the world is the way it is or you have to want to know. If you do not have this curiosity and if you do not have the intelligence in order to be able to express this curiosity in terms that others can understand than we will not be able to contribute to progress in our world.]]
* '''[[Freedom of thought]]''' ,…freedom of thought '''is essential to human progress. If we stop freedom of thought, we stop progress in our world. Because of this it is so important that we teach our children, our young people, the importance of freedom of thought. Freedom of thought begins with the right to ask questions.''' And this right our people in Burma have not had for so long that some of our young people do not quite know how to ask questions. '''One of the tasks we have set ourselves''', in my party, the National League for Democracy '''is to teach our people to ask questions, not to accept everything that is done to them without asking why.'''
* '''Why is one of the most important words in any language. You have to know why the world is the way it is or you have to want to know. If you do not have this curiosity and if you do not have the intelligence in order to be able to express this curiosity in terms that others can understand than we will not be able to contribute to progress in our world.''' How many of our people over these past few decades ever ask themselves why that had to submit to the authority of people who did not have the mandate of the general public. I do not think very many did. It was taken for granted that those who had power and authority could do exactly as they please. This was something that we could not accept.
* '''Solidarity is a beautiful word because it means that you reach out to those who are different from you and who have to cope with different circumstances because we recognize that we all share the same human needs and same values. It is the values that count most of all. The value of freedom of thought, the value of democratic practices, the value of respect for your fellow human beings.'''
* I have never claimed that democracy was a perfect system because we human beings are not perfect. We are not capable of producing a system that is perfect. But I think '''there is something nice and challenging about imperfection. If we were all perfect I think it would be a very boring world. But as it is because we have to cope everyday with our imperfections everyday can become a day of excitement. You wake up and say to yourself now which one of my many imperfections shall I work on today and that makes it very interesting and very challenging. But it is more important that we work on the imperfections of societies and of laws and of practices that truly hurt us as human beings,
* '''We all have to be responsible for ourselves. I accept the concept that respect for yourself must be the foundation of respect for others. It is only if you respect yourself as a human being and you have faith in your ability to achieve what should be achieved that you will be able to help others.'''
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* Aung San Suu Kyi serves as a reminder to us all that the commitment to nonviolence against aggressive violence, although deflected, cannot be ignored.
** [[w:Oscar Arias|Oscar Arias]] Former President of Costa Rica Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 1987
* ''What you've got they can't deny it. Can't sell it, can't buy it. Walk on, walk on. Stay safe tonight.''
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* Your determination and courage continue to inspire friends of freedom around the world. <br>Like your courageous father, you symbolize the authentic aspirations of the Burmese people. History is on the side of freedom throughout the world and I remain confident that your cause will prevail.
** US President [[Bill Clinton|William J. Clinton]]
* For the past 25 years or so, Myanmar has been boiled down to a simple dilemma of the Lady against the generals. Free Aung San Suu Kyi, went the story, and all would be well. <br /> I remain an admirer, and can only imagine how any of us might change, fold or buckle under the kind of pressures she has been subject to. The woman who became, aged 70, state counsellor of Myanmar is not [[Nelson Mandela|Mandela]] – but who really is? There is a lesson here for the media, civil society, diplomats, [[Barack Obama]], [[Hillary Clinton]] and even [[U2]]. It is that we cannot afford to rely on simple narratives. To do so is to risk being unprepared for often messy realities. In order to truly secure freedom and democracy — and to protect human rights — we need a whole lot more than symbols.
** Alan Davis, in [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/sep/19/west-aung-san-suu-kyi-saint-nobel-rohingya "The west wanted Aung San Suu Kyi to be a saint. It’s no surprise she is not" in ''The Guardian'' (19 September 2017)]
*For the Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar, news of the fall of [[Aung San Suu Kyi]] after the military coup was bittersweet. After all, no community had felt more betrayed by Myanmar’s civilian leader. When she came to power in 2015, the belief was that she would overturn decades of persecution and finally bring about peace and citizenship, following in the footsteps of her father, Gen Aung San. Instead, under her watch the military carried out their most violent operation against the Rohingya, embarking on a genocidal campaign of rape, pillage and murder in Rakhine state in 2017 and driving almost a million people over the border to Bangladesh as refugees. Standing before the [[w:International Court of Justice|International Courts of Justice]] in The Hague in the Netherlands in 2019, Aung San Suu Kyi, a former Nobel peace prize winner, defended the military action.
**‘We cannot hope for anything good’: Myanmar coup sparks despair for Rohingya, by Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Shaikh Azizur Rahman, ''The Guardian'', (14 Feb 2021)
* Any person in any country who believes in the power of good, anyone who believes in justice, will stand by Aung San Suu Kyi. Because Aung San Suu Kyi is one of the non-violent, compassionate leaders of our time.
** [[w:José Ramos-Horta|José Ramos-Horta]], 1996 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
* Let the people decide, I've got nothing to hide, I've done nothing wrong, So why've I been here so long?
**
* With her courage and her high ideals, Aung San Suu Kyi brings out something of the best in us. We feel we need precisely her sort of person in order to retain our faith in the future. <br>That is what gives her such power as a symbol, and that is why any ill-treatment of her feels like a violation of what we have most at heart.
** [[w:Francis Sejersted|Francis Sejersted]], Chairman of the Nobel Commitee, Nobel Presentation Speech, 1991
* '''Suu Kyi now is a leader of a country. She is not any more a [[human rights]] activist'''. She is a leader and, as a leader, she has to take care of many things, For example, the relationship with the Myanmar military, which is very important.
** [[w:Ronen Gilor|Ronen Gilor]], [https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-s-shameful-role-in-myanmar-s-genocidal-campaign-against-the-rohingya-1.8256822 Israel’s Shameful Role in Myanmar’s Genocidal Campaign Against the Rohingya], ''Haaretz''
[[File:Rohingya refugees entering Bangladesh after being driven out of Myanmar, 2017.JPG|thumb|Suu Kyi now is a leader of a country. She is not any more a [[human rights]] activist. ~ Ronen Gilor]]
* Suu Kyi's struggle is one of the most extraordinary examples of civil courage in Asia in recent decades. She has become an important symbol in the struggle against oppression.<br>In awarding the Nobel Peace Prize for 1991 to Aung San Suu Kyi, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to honour this woman for her unflagging efforts and to show its support for the many people throughout the world who are striving to attain democracy, human rights and ethnic conciliation by peaceful means.
** The Norwegian Nobel Committee (1991)
* In physical stature she is petite and elegant, but in moral stature she is a giant. Big men are scared of her. Armed to the teeth and they still run scared.
** Archbishop [[Desmond Tutu]], 1984 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
* We wish to use this opportunity, on the occasion of Aung San Suu Kyi's 60th birthday, to reaffirm our solidarity with the people of Burma and their legitimate struggle for democracy, human rights and civilian rule.<br>Our sister Laureate has spent almost 15 years under house arrest. Her determination and courage inspire us. We offer to her our heartfelt congratulations on this auspicious day. <br>Many of us have witnessed sweeping political changes in our own countries. We know that change will come to Burma, too. The illegal military junta that rules through force and fear will yield to the power of justice. The people of Burma will control their destiny again. But we also know from experience that tyranny does not crumble by itself. Freedom must be demanded and defended, by those who have been denied it and by those who are already free.
** [http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/pm/weblog.php?id=P167 Open letter by 12 Nobel Laureates (15 June 2005)]
* '''When Aung San Suu Kyi was released, we punched the air.''' <br /> When she came to Dublin to thank [[Ireland]] and [[Amnesty International]], we Irish could not have been more proud. <br /> When her party the NLD won a landslide in the elections and she stood her ground to become de-facto head of the country, an impossible journey seemed to be reaching its destination. We wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but instead held our breath. She had built her reputation on her refusal to compromise her beliefs (as well as on the personal sacrifice that entailed), but forming a government requires a certain amount of pragmatism. We feared the military's brutality would be quick to show itself again if she overstepped the mark, and while hopeful for progress, we wondered if we would find ourselves once again campaigning for her release. <br /> But what has happened this year, and in particular these past months – this, we never imagined. <br /> Who could have predicted that if [[w:2017 Rohingya persecution in Myanmar|more than 600,000 people were fleeing from a brutal army]] for fear of their lives, the woman who many of us believed would have the clearest and loudest voice on the crisis would go quiet. For these atrocities against the [[w:Rohingya people|Rohingya people]] to be happening on her watch blows our minds and breaks our hearts. … the violence and terror being visited on the Rohingya people are appalling atrocities and must stop.
** [[U2]], in [http://www.u2.com/news/title/this-we-never-imagined 'THIS, WE NEVER IMAGINED…' at ''U2.com'' (11 Nov 2017)]
*Aung San Suu Kyi's silence is starting to look a lot like assent. As [[Martin Luther King]] said: "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people." The time has long passed for her to stand up and speak out. <br /> We know that Aung San Suu Kyi has in front of her real [[complexities]] that the outside world cannot understand — but nor should we have to. The complexity of the situation in Myanmar she inherited from her father did not sway her to compromise her ideals back in 1998, nor should it now. At some point, a fragile balancing act becomes a Faustian pact. <br /> '''We also believe we can't direct our anger solely in her direction. That plays right into the hands of those who are carrying out the violence.''' [[w: Min Aung Hlaing|Min Aung Hlaing]] is not a widely recognised name outside Myanmar — it should be. This man is the Commander General in Chief of the Defence Services who answers to no-one when a security threat is declared. '''While this in no way excuses her silence, Aung San Suu Kyi has no control, constitutional or otherwise, over his actions, and it is he who has authorised and overseen the terrorization of the Rohingya people under the guise of protecting Myanmar from terrorism. Condemning her and ignoring him is a mistake.''' If this horror of human rights abuses is to stop, and if the long-term conditions for resettlement of the Rohingya people are to ever occur, General Min Aung Hlaing and his military must be just as much the focus of international action and pressure as Aung San Suu Kyi and her civilian government.
** [[U2]], in [http://www.u2.com/news/title/this-we-never-imagined 'THIS, WE NEVER IMAGINED…' at ''U2.com'' (11 Nov 2017)]
*When I heard Aung San Suu Kyi's address to both houses of Britian's Parliament in Westminster hall last week, what impressed me was the clarity with which she spelt out her vision for her country. But, throughout her speech, something kept bothering me and by the time she finished, I discovered what it was. What bothered me was that I could not think of a single Indian leader who could make such a speech. The Indian political landscape today has become a desert in which only the stunted progeny of stunted political leaders bloom. We need our political parties to throw up real leaders and we need a political discourse in which real political problems are discussed.
**Tavleen Singh : Jun 24 2012, Not ‘Secularism’ again [http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/not--secularism--again/965967/]
==External links==
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