Friday, September 23, 2011

Suu Kyi wins tops UK prize

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Friday, 23 September 2011 19:14 Mizzima News

(Mizzima) – Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been awarded the prestigious Chatham House Prize from a leading UK foreign policy think-tank.

Reuters reported on Friday that the annual award from the Royal Institute of International Affairs is presented to the individual members believe has made the most significant contribution to the improvement of international relations in the previous year.

Aung San Suu Kyi poses for pictures in front of art work about the possible negative impacts of dams on the Irrawaddy River, at a art gallery opening in Rangoon on Thursday. Photo: Mizzima

The prominent think-tank said Suu Kyi had become an international symbol of democracy and peaceful resistance, and the prize will be accepted by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright at a ceremony in London on December 1.

Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 while she was under house arrest. Her sons, Alexander and Kim, accepted the prize on her behalf at a ceremony in Oslo.

“International awareness helps our struggle for democracy in Burma, and our struggle provides us with an insight into the yearnings of all peoples for peace and freedom,” Suu Kyi said in a statement released by the think-tank.

During a video link from Burma to an audience in New York for the Clinton Global Initiative on Wednesday, Suu Kyi said she could see improvements in Burma but said, “It's the beginning of the beginning,” and urged people to pay attention to Burma’s progress on the road to democracy.

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