Aung San Suu Kyi receives Congressional Gold Medal in the US
Friday, September 21, 2012 from RTÉ News
http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0920/suu-kyi-receives-congressional-gold-medal.html
Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi met US President Barack Obama at the White House and received the highest congressional award yesterday.
Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi met US President Barack Obama at the White House and received the highest congressional award yesterday.
Ms Suu Kyi, on a coast-to-coast US tour, held private talks with Mr Obama in the Oval Office after being feted by politicians in the Capitol.
She was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal for her long fight for democracy in a country ruled by army generals since 1962.
"This is one of the most moving days of my life, to be here in a house undivided, a house joined together to welcome a stranger from a distant land," she said.
"Among all these faces are some I saw while I was under house arrest, and some I saw after I was released from house arrest," said Ms Suu Kyi, acknowledging strong support from US lawmakers during her 17 years of house arrest.
The Oval Office setting for the first meeting between the two Nobel Peace laureates afforded Ms Suu Kyi's visit some of the trappings normally reserved for visiting foreign presidents and prime ministers.
However the White House kept the meeting low key, apparently treading carefully lest it allow the Suu Kyi events upstage Burma, also known as Myanmar.
News photographers were allowed in briefly but not television cameras or print reporters. Mr Obama and Ms Suu Kyi met for about half an hour.
Mr Obama, seeking re-election in November, seized the chance to meet Ms Suu Kyi on the second day of her US tour.
The encounter could help him highlight what many see as a foreign policy accomplishment of his administration in helping to push Burma's generals onto the path of democratic change.
The president expressed his admiration for Ms Suu Kyi's courage and personal sacrifice in championing democracy and human rights over the years, the White House said in a statement after the meeting.
Mr Obama welcomed the Asian nation's democratic transition and the recent progress made by Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy Party and President Thein Sein.
Ms Suu Kyi, on a coast-to-coast US tour, held private talks with Mr Obama in the Oval Office after being feted by politicians in the Capitol.
She was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal for her long fight for democracy in a country ruled by army generals since 1962.
"This is one of the most moving days of my life, to be here in a house undivided, a house joined together to welcome a stranger from a distant land," she said.
"Among all these faces are some I saw while I was under house arrest, and some I saw after I was released from house arrest," said Ms Suu Kyi, acknowledging strong support from US lawmakers during her 17 years of house arrest.
The Oval Office setting for the first meeting between the two Nobel Peace laureates afforded Ms Suu Kyi's visit some of the trappings normally reserved for visiting foreign presidents and prime ministers.
However the White House kept the meeting low key, apparently treading carefully lest it allow the Suu Kyi events upstage Burma, also known as Myanmar.
News photographers were allowed in briefly but not television cameras or print reporters. Mr Obama and Ms Suu Kyi met for about half an hour.
Mr Obama, seeking re-election in November, seized the chance to meet Ms Suu Kyi on the second day of her US tour.
The encounter could help him highlight what many see as a foreign policy accomplishment of his administration in helping to push Burma's generals onto the path of democratic change.
The president expressed his admiration for Ms Suu Kyi's courage and personal sacrifice in championing democracy and human rights over the years, the White House said in a statement after the meeting.
Mr Obama welcomed the Asian nation's democratic transition and the recent progress made by Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy Party and President Thein Sein.
Aung San Suu Kyi's World
By Amy Pereira for Time Magazine on September 19, 2012
Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize winner, leader of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party and Burma's democracy icon, spent 15 years under house arrest in her lakeside home and Insein prison. First detained in July 1989 for six years, she was put back under house arrest again from 1999 to 2002 and then finally again in May 2003 after the infamous Depayin incident, in which the military regime attempted to assassinate her. She was released from her latest sentence in November 2010 and continues to work tirelessly to achieve democracy and national reconciliation in Burma in spite of constant threats and oppression from the authorities. In this photo, written on her hand is the name of Soe Min Min, an NLD member who was arrested in 2008 and sentenced to eight years for praying for Suu Kyi's release while she was under house arrest. He was released from Insein prison under a presidential amnesty in January 2012.
Working on a series originally entitled ‘Even Though I’m Free I Am Not,’ photographer James Mackay spent three years taking portraits of Burmese dissidents and democracy activists, including Suu Kyi. In each photo, the subject lifts his or her hand in the classic Buddhist gesture of the ‘abhaya mudra,’ a sign representing protection, peace and the dispelling of fear. Inscribed on their raised hands are the names of allies, friends, kindred spirits who were still in detention at the time the photo was taken.
Read more: http://world.time.com/2012/09/19/aung-san-suu-kyis-world-portraits-of-burmese-dissidents-and-activists/#ixzz27WTYIziQ |
Burma at a Glance
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The Lady (2011)
Director: Luc Besson
The Lady is a French-English co-production directed by Luc Besson, starring Michelle Yeoh as Aung San Suu Kyi and David Thewlis as her late husband Michael Aris. Yeoh describes the film as "an incredible love story" against the background of "political turmoil".
Paris Match shared her opinion, naming the film an extraordinary story of love between her deceased husband and a woman who sacrifices her personal happiness for her people. Michelle Yeoh called the film "a labour of love" but also confessed it had felt intimidating for her to play the Nobel laureate. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton watched "The Lady" before she met the real Aung San Suu Kyi. -Taken from Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia |
OFFICIAL TRAILER: The Lady
How do you say our House Founder's name, Aung San Suu Kyi?
“Aung” is roughly pronounced “Oun” (rhymes with “sound,” without the ‘d’ and ‘s’). Most Burmese people with the name ‘Aung’ spell it misleadingly with ‘ng’ because in Burmese, it is spelled with a silent ‘ng.’ “San” is pronounced close enough, but to be more exact, it has to be lengthened (so more “Saan” rather than “San”.) “Suu,” unlike the misleading lengthening of the vowel, is short and abrupt. So it’s more of a a snappy and quick “Su” rather than a long-voweled “Suu.” And “Kyi” is the one most people have trouble with. The pronunciation of “Kyi” does not even exist in English, so a “Chee” is the closest approximation. But for those who are familiar with Spanish or French, the ‘k’s in those languages are softened. But the “Kyi” is a combination of the soft ‘k’ and a ‘y’ sound, which is hard to explain.
Shortly put:
Shortly put:
- “Aung” rhymes with “sound” (without the ‘s’ and ‘d’);
- “San” rhymes with “sun,” except with a long vowel.
- “Su” ends abruptly, like French ‘zut,’ or less closely, to English “loot” (replace the ‘t’ with an abrupt stop)
- “Kyi” is a softened “Chee.” Like the French or Spanish ‘k.
-Taken from Fifty Viss: a collection of thoughts and writings on Burma
http://viss.wordpress.com/2007/09/15/how-to-pronounce-aung-san-suu-kyi/
http://viss.wordpress.com/2007/09/15/how-to-pronounce-aung-san-suu-kyi/
kaung hmu ta khu nei zin pyu
Perform a good deed, every day.
ahma thon myo shi de - ahmat athi hma gyin, akyan athi hma gyin, amyin ayu hma gyin.
There are 3 kinds of mistakes: those resulting from lack of memory, from lack of preparation, or from misguided beliefs.
pa ta chet anet hse htwei
A single word may have ten shades of meaning.
apyet asin pyin khana
An error may go on endlessly, but can be remedied in a moment.
kyun kaing hmi, kaing kyun hmi
Islands rely on reeds, just as reeds rely on islands.
Note: Reeds and mangrove forests buffer against floods in low-lying areas.
chan ziyo htin khwei
Gather firewood from one’s own fence.
zaga ne, yan ze
Fewer words, fewer enemies.
Perform a good deed, every day.
ahma thon myo shi de - ahmat athi hma gyin, akyan athi hma gyin, amyin ayu hma gyin.
There are 3 kinds of mistakes: those resulting from lack of memory, from lack of preparation, or from misguided beliefs.
pa ta chet anet hse htwei
A single word may have ten shades of meaning.
apyet asin pyin khana
An error may go on endlessly, but can be remedied in a moment.
kyun kaing hmi, kaing kyun hmi
Islands rely on reeds, just as reeds rely on islands.
Note: Reeds and mangrove forests buffer against floods in low-lying areas.
chan ziyo htin khwei
Gather firewood from one’s own fence.
zaga ne, yan ze
Fewer words, fewer enemies.