Thursday, May 21, 2009

Int'l protesters hit the streets for Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi seen here during the 2007 Saffron Revolution. The daughter of a famous freedom fighter and widely supported Nobel laureate, she is beloved in her home country, Burma. She won democratic elections only to see them invalidated and herself arrested by the military junta. She married Dr. Michael Aris, a scholar of Tibetan culture, living abroad in Bhutan. The following year she gave birth to their first son, Alexander Aris, in London; their second son, Kim, was born in 1977. In 1988 Suu Kyi returned to Burma at first to tend for her ailing mother but later to lead the pro-democracy movement. Michael’s visit in Christmas 1995 turned out to be the last time Suu Kyi and Michael met, as Suu Kyi remained in Burma, and the Burmese dictatorship denied him any further entry visas. More>>

People gather to show support to Burma opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi in Paris, France on May 19, 2009. Suu Kyi was unexpectedly allowed to speak to diplomats at her internationally condemned trial and expressed hope for "better days" in the future (AFP/Eric Feferberg).

As international powers seek to maintain pressure on the Burmese government, rights activists are also pouring into the streets to show their support for the nation's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi (AFPTV).

Members of Amnesty International carry placards to demand the release of Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest outside the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong May 21, 2009. The protesters tried to deliver a letter to the Chinese President Hu Jintao, requesting his help on the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. Army-ruled Burma opened the trial of the opposition leader on Wednesday in an apparent bid to calm growing international outrage at the regime and its latest crackdown on the Nobel Peace laureate (Reuters/Aaron Tam).

A Burmese activist with a bag featuring a portrait of his pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi stands during a rally demanding the immediate release of Suu Kyi in front of the Myanmar embassy in Seoul, South Korea, today, May 21, 2009 (AP/Ahn Young-joon).

Members of Amnesty International carrying placards walk towards the Chinese Foreign Ministry, May 21, 2009. Army-ruled Burma opened the trial of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday in an apparent bid to calm growing international outrage at the regime and its latest crackdown on the Nobel Peace laureate (Reuters/Aaron Tam).

A protester raises his fist as he joins others in a rally in front of Myanmar's embassy in Manila on May 19, 2009. Burma opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi seemed to be holding up surprisingly well (AFP/File/Jay Directo).

Burmese citizens living in Japan hold portraits of Aung San Suu Kyi as they shout slogans during a rally in front of the Myanmar embassy in Tokyo on May 18, 2009. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday it is "outrageous" that Burma had put pro-democracy icon Suu Kyi on trial but hoped it would end soon and she would be released (AFP/File/Yoshikazu Tsuno).

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