Burma: Suu Kyi Wins Global Women’s Award

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Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi will follow in the footsteps of international dignitaries such as Hillary Clinton and Melinda Gates next week when she is honoured with the prestigious Global Trailblazer Award.

The honour comes as part of the Global Leadership Awards given annually by the US-based women’s empowerment group, Vital Voices.

The 65-year-old Nobel laureate will also be named Voice of the Decade when she receives the award from Clinton, who was last year’s winner, at a ceremony in Washington on 12 April.

Burma
Burma

Suu Kyi of course will not be present at the ceremony – the Burmese government, which released her from house arrest in November last year, has said she is free to leave the country, but the chances of her being allowed to return are slim.

Vital Voices says that potential honourees include “social entrepreneurs, political representatives, businesswomen, human rights defenders and civil society advocate.

“From remote villages and wired cities, they promote equality, peace and prosperity as innovators who transcend barriers to move whole communities forward.”

The democracy icon is no stranger to awards, having been honoured with the Rafto Prize and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990, and the Nobel Peace Prize the following year. The Indian government has also honoured her with the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding, and Venezuela with the International Simón Bolívar Prize.

Democratic Voice of Burma

The Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) is a non-profit Burmese media organization committed to responsible journalism.

One thought on “Burma: Suu Kyi Wins Global Women’s Award

  • April 18, 2011 at 12:45 am
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    Most Burmese do not want anything to do with this misplaced award. Just shows how little the world knows about Burma.

    Suu Kyi is again being rewarded for damaging Burma’s international reputation, damaging truth and justice, compromising Burma neutral foreign policy by allowing outsiders to interfere in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation.

    Her father General Aung San – whose political legacy ruined a rich nation — invited the Japanese Imperial Army to invade Burma during WWII. No saviours, the fascists brutalised the Burmese by raping, looting and plundering the nation and its people.

    Now the selfish daughter is continuing to urge the ignorant West to further punish the poor people through economic sanctions. The woman has no shame.

    The First Family is a curse on the Burmese nation.

    Solipsist Suu Kyi has turned into a millstone around the necks of her blind admirers in the West.

    Reply

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