Aung San Suu Kyi
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Biography
Aung San Suu Kyi was born on June 19, 1945, in Yangon, Myanmar. Her father, Aung Sun, was a Burmese General who helped Burma gain independence from the United Kingdom in 1947. Unfortunately, he was assassinated in the same year. Her mother, Daw Khin Kyim, became her sole guardian. Suu Kyi stayed in Rangoon, Burma for her early education until she was 15 years old. In 1960, Suu Kyi accompanied her mother to India. She received her Bachelor’s degree in philosophy, politics, and economics from St. Hugh’s College, Oxford University. Soon after she began working for the UN and in 1972, she got married to Dr. Michael Aris.
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Family Born on February 13, 1915, Aung San was one of the leading factors that helped Burma claim independence in 1948. He was the leader of a group called the Thirty Comrades and accepted command of the Burma Defense Army a.k.a. the Burma Independence Army. Born on April 16, 1912, Khin Kyi was a nurse alongside others for the Burma Defense Army. There she met her husband, Aung San, and together they worked through World War II. Even after his death, she continued to be active in the political, social, and health factors of Myanmar.
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Contributions Aung San Suu Kyi entered the poltical scene when she returned to Burma to care for her mother. She founded the National League for Democracy party on September 27, 1988 and they worked along the lines of Mahatma Ghandi’s philosophy of non-violent protests. As the General Secretary, Suu Kyi gave numerous speeches on democracy and freedom.
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Event As Suu Kyi was fighting for the freedom of Burma, she was placed under house arrest in 1989 and was offered freedom only if she left the country. Afterwards, the dictatorship was forced to call a general election in 1990. The National League for Democracy (NDL) won by a landslide of 59% of the votes, which guaranteed 80% of the votes. Suu Kyi qualified for the position of Prime Minister but the military nullified the votes and assumed office, causing an outcry. Throughout all of this, Suu Kyi remained on house arrest until 1995.
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Monument Suu Kyi’s monument will be a representation of her resilience and ability to remain peaceful during non-peaceful times. The statue would show her sitting in an arm chair commonly found in a living room, with books piled around her feet. She would be reading a book with one leg resting on the other, and a gentle smile on her face. Behind the chair would be a set of iron bars, signifying the house arrest she had to endure because of her continued efforts to free Burma from a militant dictatorship. The statue would not be on a pedastal, but on the ground in the center of a plaza, showing that she saw herself as one with her people and never above them. She wouldlook them at equal level and never look down on them. The material used for the statue would be either copper or some other type of metal.
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Monument Design
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George Mason Location
For the George Mason location, the monument would sit outside the Fenwick Library, because of her pursuit for knowledge in subjects like philosophy, politics, economics, and psychology. She would stand as a message to people that no matter what situation you’re in, you can always expand your mind and thinking.
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Other Location
The other location would be in Myanmar, near the office that she currently works at or in a city center. I believe that it would be a sweet omage to her in a way, and a remeberence of her hard work and unfaltering dedication to the Burmese people and their freedom.
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Notable Awards During her house arrest, Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 “for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights.” She also receieved the Sakharov Prize for Freedom. She donated the prize money to health and eductation trust for the Burmese people.
Suu Kyi has been granted many titles in her life including Doctor Honoris Causa, Honorary Doctorate and Honorary Scholar. She was a member of the Elders, a group of global leaders. She also recieved Francois Zimeray, France’s Ambassador for Human Rights in 2011.
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Suu Kyi Present Day Aung San Suu Kyi is currently a Burmese diplomat, politician and author. She is also the first and incumbent State Counsellor of Myanmar, and the leader of the National League of Democracy.
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