People stand outside of Comstock Hall to show their support of Aung San Suu Kyi.

By James El-Mallakh-

Aung San Suu Kyi, an activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, spoke to students and visitors Monday at the University of Louisville’s Comstock Hall. Suu Kyi has risen to prominence as an outspoken critic of the government in her country of Burma. The Burmese government has recently pursued pro-democratic measures, such as releasing political prisoners; Suu Kyi was one of those released from a 15 year long house arrest. Since then she has been elected to her country’s parliament and has been allowed to leave her country. She arrived in the U.S. last week for a 17-day visit, during which, she was awarded the Congressional Gold Metal while in Washington.

Suu Kyi thanked Senator Mitch McConnell and the audience for their support of her country’s democratic reforms and asked that the United States continue to support the reforms of the country. “It worries me a little that many may think there is no longer any need for them to make an effort to help along the democratization of Burma,” Suu Kyi said. “It is now that we need your support more than ever, your intelligent support because you need to be aware of what is going on in Burma.”

Suu Kyi spoke for nine minutes before she took questions for the rest of the hour.

In answering a question about sanctions on the government of Burma, Suu Kyi said the sanctions have been of great help but that it was time that they be lifted, “It is time that we of our country started taking responsibility for carrying on the process of democratization.” Last year Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Burma and said that as the Burmese government makes democratic progress, sanctions against the country will be lifted.

Among other topics, Suu Kyi answered questions about the media’s role in Burma, increasing access to basic education and the importance of non-violence when pursuing change. Suu Kyi was asked what our democracy could learn from the Burmese struggle for democracy. “I think what you can learn from us is that we are not as different from you as you think we are,” Suu Kyi said.

“To me what democracy means is the right balance between freedom and security… In the end when it comes down to it, I don’t think that there are any people in the world that would not say that they want security as well as freedom. Of course, how they define security and how they define freedom may be different.”


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Photo: Ryan Considine/The Louisville Cardinal