Aung San Suu Kyi
13 November 2015
Aung San Suu Kyi led the National League
for Democracy (NLD) to a majority win in Myanmar's first openly contested
election in 25 years in November 2015.
The win came five years to the day since
she was released from 15 years of house arrest. The 70-year-old spent much of
her time between 1989 and 2010 in some form of detention(拘留) because of
her efforts to bring democracy to military-ruled Myanmar (Burma) - a fact that
made her an international symbol of peaceful resistance in the face of oppression(壓迫). In 1991, "The Lady" as she's
known, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and the committee chairman called her
"an outstanding example of the power of the powerless". However,
after her release and subsequent(後來的) political
career, Ms. Suu Kyi has come in for criticism by some rights groups for what
they say has been a failure to speak up for Myanmar's minority groups during a
time of ethnic(種族的) violence in parts of the country.
Political pedigree(家譜)
Aung San Suu Kyi is the daughter of
Myanmar's independence hero, General Aung San. He was assassinated during the
transition period in July 1947, just six months before independence, when Ms.
Suu Kyi was only two. In 1960 she went to India with her mother Daw Khin Kyi, who had
been appointed(指派) Myanmar's
ambassador in Delhi. Four years later she went to Oxford University in the UK,
where she studied philosophy(哲學), politics
and economics. There she met her future husband, academic(學者) Michael Aris. After stints(停止) of living and working
in Japan and Bhutan, she settled in the UK to raise their two children,
Alexander and Kim, but Myanmar was never far from her thoughts. When she
arrived back in Rangoon (Yangon) in 1988 - to look after her critically ill
mother - Myanmar was in the midst of major political upheaval(大動亂). Thousands of
students, office workers and monks(僧侶) took to
the streets demanding democratic reform. "I could not as my father's
daughter remain indifferent(中立的、漠不關心的) to all
that was going on," she said in a speech in Rangoon on 26 August 1988, and
was propelled(驅使) into
leading the revolt(叛亂) against
the then-dictator(大獨裁者), General Ne Win. Inspired by the non-violent campaigns of US
civil rights leader Martin Luther King and India's Mahatma Gandhi, she organized
rallies(集會) and travelled around
the country, calling for peaceful democratic reform(改革) and free elections. But
the demonstrations were brutally suppressed(鎮壓) by the army, who seized(抓住) power in a coup(政變) on 18 September 1988.
Ms. Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest the following year. The military
government called national elections in May 1990 which Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD convincingly(令人信服地) won - however, the
junta refused to hand over (交出) control.
House
arrest
Ms. Suu Kyi
remained under house arrest in Rangoon for six years, until she was released in
July 1995.She was again put under house arrest in September 2000, when she
tried to travel to the city of Mandalay in defiance(挑戰) of travel
restrictions. She was released unconditionally(無怨無悔地) in May
2002, but just over a year later she was put in prison following a clash(衝突) between her
supporters and a government-backed mob(暴民). She was later allowed to return home - but again under
effective house arrest. During periods of confinement, Ms. Suu Kyi busied
herself studying and exercising. She meditated(打坐), worked on her French and Japanese language skills, and relaxed
by playing Bach on the piano. At times she was able to meet other NLD officials
and selected diplomats(外交官). But
during her early years of detention she was
often in solitary(孤獨的) confinement(禁閉). She was not allowed
to see her two sons or her husband, who died of cancer in March 1999.The
military authorities had offered to allow her to travel to the UK to see him
when he was gravely(嚴重地) ill, but
she felt compelled(被迫) to refuse
for fear she would not be allowed back into the country.
Re-entering
politics
She was
sidelined from Myanmar's first elections in two decades on 7 November 2010 but
released from house arrest six days later. Her son Kim Aris was allowed to
visit her for the first time in a decade. As the new government embarked(開始) on a process of reform, Aung San Suu Kyi and her party rejoined the political process.
When by-elections were held in April 2012, to fill seats vacated(騰空) by politicians who
had taken government posts, she and her party contested seats, despite
reservations. "Some are a little bit too optimistic about the
situation," she said in an interview before the vote. "We are
cautiously optimistic. We are at the beginning of a road. "She and the NLD
won 43 of the 45 seats contested, in an emphatic statement of support. Weeks
later, Ms. Suu Kyi took the oath (誓言) in parliament (議會) and became
the leader of the opposition (對抗). And the
following May, she embarked on a visit outside Myanmar for the first time in 24
years, in a sign of apparent confidence that its new leaders would allow her to
return.
'Overly
optimistic'
However, Ms.
Suu Kyi became frustrated with the pace of democratic development. In November
2014, she warned that Myanmar had not made any real reforms in the past two
years and warned that the US - which dropped most of its sanctions(處罰) against the country
in 2012 - had been "overly optimistic" in the past. And in June, a
vote in Myanmar's parliament failed to
remove the army's veto(否決) over constitutional(憲法的) change. Ms. Suu Kyi
is also barred (禁止) from
running for president because her two sons hold British not Burmese passports -
a ruling she says is unfair. In 2015, the military-backed civilian government
of President Thein Sein said a general election would be held in November - the
first openly contested election in 25 years. Early on after the vote on 8
November it became clear the NLD was headed for a landslide victory. On 13
November, the NLD secured the required two-thirds of the contested seats in
parliament to win a majority in what was widely regarded as a largely fair vote
- although there were some reports of irregularities. However, hundreds of
thousands of people - including the Muslim Rohingya minority(未成年), who are not recognized
as citizens - were denied voting rights.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-11685977
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-11685977
Structure
of the lead:
WHO- Aung San Suu Kyi
WHEN- Aung San Suu Kyi’s lifetime till now
WHAT- not given
WHY-not given
WHERE-Myanmar
HOW- Aung San Suu Kyi’s profile
Keyword:
detention(拘留)
oppression(壓迫)
subsequent(後來的)
ethnic(種族的)
pedigree(家譜)
appointed(指派)
philosophy(哲學)
academic(學者)
stint(停止)
upheaval(大動亂)
monks(僧侶)
indifferent(中立的、漠不關心的)
propelled(驅使)
revolt(叛亂)
then-dictator(大獨裁者)
rally(集會)
reform(改革)
suppress(鎮壓)
seize(抓住)
coup(政變)
convincingly(令人信服地)
hand over (交出)
defiance(挑戰)
unconditionally(無怨無悔地)
clash(衝突)
mob(暴民)
meditated(打坐)
diplomats(外交官)
solitary(孤獨的)
confinement(禁閉)
gravely(嚴重地)
compelled(被迫)
embarked(開始)
vacated(騰空)
oath (誓言)
parliament (議會)
opposition (對抗)
sanctions(處罰)
veto(否決)
constitutional(憲法的)
barred (禁止)
minority(未成年)
I think she is a very brave woman and also very admire her because she could audibles for the people even be arrested. I think if I were her I would just keep silence and do nothing, so I feel very happy that she could win the prize.
回覆刪除This woman went through tons of difficulties in her life. She can't meet her husband until he died. She put all her strength to make her country free. I think she is one of the bravest woman that I have ever seen. I heard that she would to take part in the president vote. Hope she can make it!
回覆刪除