Aung San Suu Kyi: Leading the Burmese democracy movement

Aung San Suu Kyi Awn Sahn Sue Chee Government leaders are amazing, she once said. So often it seems they are the last to know what the people want. Following the release of Burmese democracy leader and 1991 Nobel Peace laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on 10 July 1995, the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) led by Prime Minister Dr. Sein Win, convened the first ever Convention of Elected Representatives from the liberated areas of Burma in Bommersvik, Sweden, from 16–23 July 1995. The representatives of the people of Burma elected in the 27 May 1990 general elections, met to discuss the drastically changed political situation in Burma and to re-organize the NCGUB into a more effective force to support Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's political initiatives in Rangoon. The Convention supported Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's call for a genuine political dialogue and called on the Secretary-General of the United Nations to implement the UN General Assembly resolution which called for him to assist in the national reconciliation process in Burma. A tripartite dialogue between the Burmese military led by SLORC; the democracy movement led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi; and Burma's ethnic leaders; was endorsed by the elected representatives. The Convention welcomed the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and thanked all who worked for her release. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's return to politics and her determination to continue working for democracy in Burma was applauded and welcomed. The leading role played by SLORC Chairman Senior General Than Shwe in Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's release was also recognized. To give the leadership more flexibility to deal with the rapidly changing situation, the government formed by elected representatives in Manerplaw on 18 December 1990 was officially dissolved by the Convention of Elected Representatives on 21 July 1995 in Bommersvik. The Convention unanimously re-elected Dr. Sein Win by secret ballot to head the new government. The new government re-affirmed its commitment to the establishment of a multiparty parliamentary democracy within the framework of a genuine federal union. The broad-based support of the new coalition government is reflected in the make up of the cabinet. The elected representatives were joined in their deliberations by representatives from the National Council of the Union of Burma, leaders of the National League for Democracy (Liberated Area), the United Nationalities League for Democracy, the All Burma Students Democratic Front, the Federation of Trade Unions - Burma, and NCGUB representatives. The Convention was hosted by the Stockholm-based Olof Palme International Centre and the Norwegian Burma Council in Bommersvik, the training centre of the Social Democratic Youth of Sweden. ” — The Democratic Government of Burma Aung San Suu Kyi Burma Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize Sakharov Prize Nobel Peace Prize Jawaharlal Nehru Award International Simón Bolívar Prize Wallenberg Medal Aung San Yangon Tatmadaw British Empire Burmese Martyrs Day Aung San Oo National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma Sein Win Inya Lake Basic Education High School No. 1 Dagon Kofi Annan Pope John Paul II Ne Win Shwedagon Pagoda Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi Nonviolence 8888 Uprising State Peace and Development Council Saw Maung Than Shwe Burma Campaign UK Amnesty International Human Rights Watch Karen Human Rights Group Free Burma Rangers Khin Nyunt Insein Prison Universal Declaration of Human Rights Myanmar Police Force Ban Ki-moon Depayin massacre 2007 Burmese anti-government protests Suu Kyi trespasser incidents Mae Tao Clinic Assistance Association for Political Prisoners Google Earth Democratic Voice of Burma Jim Webb Gordon Brown Samak Sundaravej Damien Rice Viet Nam News Roadmap to democracy Olof Palme Prize Memorial University of Newfoundland Four Freedoms Award Honorary Canadian citizenship Congressional Gold Medal