Aung San Suu Kyi: A life in pictures

Aung San Suu Kyi is Burma's opposition heroine, seen here aged two, with her parents and two elder brothers in 1947.

As the daughter of General Aung San who led Burma to independence, her homeland was never far from her thoughts.

After a period of time overseas she returned to Burma in 1988, and was soon put under house arrest at her lakeside residence.

It was six years before she was released from this first stint in detention.

But Aung San Suu Kyi continued to suffer restrictions to her movement out of the capital and in 2000 she was again arrested.

She was released unconditionally in May 2002, but just over a year later she was put in prison following a clash between her supporters and a government-backed mob. 

In September 2003 she was allowed to move back home, but despite intense pressure for her release she has remained under house arres

 

An apparent power struggle which saw hardliner Soe Win become prime minister in October 2004 further dimmed hopes of Aung San Suu Kyi's quick release.

But hopes were then raised by the junta's agreement to a meeting between senior UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari and Aung San Suu Kyi in May 2006.

During anti-government protests led by Buddhist monks in 2007, Ms Suu Kyi made her first public appearance since 2003, greeting monks outside her house and praying with them.

For the Burmese people, Aung San Suu Kyi represents their best and perhaps sole hope that one day there will be an end to the country's military repression.

Profile: Aung San Suu Kyi

Like the South African leader Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi has become an international symbol of heroic and peaceful resistance in the face of oppression. Aung San Suu Kyi advocates non-violent resistance For the Burmese people, Ms Suu Kyi, 64, represents their best and perhaps sole hope that one day there will be an end to the country's military repression. As a pro-democracy campaigner and leader of the opposition National League for Democracy party (NLD), she has spent more than 11 of the past 19 years in some form of detention under Burma's military regime. In 1991 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to bring democracy to Burma. At the presentation, the Chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, Francis Sejested, called her "an outstanding example of the power of the powerless". House arrest After a period of time overseas, Aung San Suu Kyi went back to Burma in 1988. Soon after she returned, she was put under house arrest in Rangoon for six years, until she was released in July 1995. AUNG SAN SUU KYI 1989: Put under house arrest as Burma junta declares martial law 1990: NLD wins election; military disregards result 1991: Wins Nobel Peace Prize 1995: Released from house arrest, but movements restricted 2000-02: Second period of house arrest May 2003: Detained after clash between NLD and junta forces Sep 2003: Allowed home after medical treatment, but under effective house arrest May 2007: House arrest is extended for another year Sept 2007: First public appearance since 2003, greeting protesting Buddhist monks May 2008: House arrest extended for another year May 2009: Charged with breaking detention rules after an American swims to her compound August 2009: Sentenced to 18 months further house arrest She was again put under house arrest in September 2000, when she tried to travel to the city of Mandalay in defiance of travel restrictions. She was released unconditionally in May 2002, but just over a year later she was put in prison following a clash between her supporters and a government-backed mob. Following a gynaecological operation in September 2003, she was allowed to return home - but again under effective house arrest. In summer 2007, there were widespread protests in Burma over fuel prices, followed by anti-government demonstrations led by Buddhist monks, which were violently ended by the government. Ms Suu Kyi appeared outside her home to meet some of the monks in September that year, her first public appearance since 2003. In May 2009, as the latest period of detention was due to expire, the NLD appealed to the government to release her, saying she was suffering from low blood pressure and dehydration, but the appeal was rejected. Shortly after, a US national was arrested for swimming across a lake and breaking into her compound. Profile of Aung San Suu Kyi Then, a few days later, Ms Suu Kyi was herself arrested and charged with breaching the conditions of her detention, although the man had apparently not been invited to visit. After a trial, she was convicted and sentenced to a further 18 months of house arrest. Critics say the arrest and continued detention were designed to keep her away from the public eye until elections scheduled to take place in 2010. The sentence was roundly condemned by the international community. Diplomatic visits During periods of confinement, Ms Suu Kyi has busied herself studying and exercising. I could not, as my father's daughter, remain indifferent to all that was going on Aung San Suu Kyi, 1988 She has meditated, worked on her French and Japanese language skills, and relaxed by playing Bach on the piano. In more recent years, she has also been able to meet other NLD officials, and selected visiting diplomats like the United Nations special envoy Razali Ismail. But during her early years of detention, Ms Suu Kyi was often in solitary confinement - and was not even allowed to see her two sons or her husband, British academic Michael Aris, who died of cancer in March 1999. When her husband was on his deathbed, the military authorities offered to allow her to travel to the UK to see him, but she felt compelled to refuse for fear she would not be allowed back into the country. Ms Suu Kyi has often said that detention has made her even more resolute to dedicate the rest of her life to represent the average Burmese citizen. The UN special envoy Razali Ismail has said privately that she is one of the most impressive people he has ever met. Overseas life Much of Ms Suu Kyi's appeal within Burma lies in the fact she is the daughter of the country's independence hero, General Aung San. Aung San Suu Kyi: A life in pictures He was assassinated during the transition period in July 1947, just six months before independence. Aung San Suu Kyi was only two years old at the time. In 1960 she went to India with her mother Daw Khin Kyi, who had been appointed Burma's ambassador to Delhi. Four years later she went to Oxford University in the UK, where she studied philosophy, politics and economics. There she met her future husband. After stints of living and working in Japan and Bhutan, she settled down to be an English don's housewife and raise their two children, Alexander and Kim. But Burma was never far away from her thoughts. When she arrived back in Rangoon in 1988 - initially to look after her critically ill mother - Burma was in the midst of major political upheaval. Thousands of students, office workers and monks took to the streets demanding democratic reform. "I could not, as my father's daughter remain indifferent to all that was going on," she said in a speech in Rangoon on 26 August 1988. Ms Suu Kyi was soon propelled into leading the revolt against then-dictator General Ne Win. Inspired by the non-violent campaigns of US civil rights leader Martin Luther King and India's Mahatma Gandhi, she organised rallies and travelled around the country, calling for peaceful democratic reform and free elections. But the demonstrations were brutally suppressed by the army, who seized power in a coup on 18 September 1988. The military government called national elections in May 1990. Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD convincingly won the polls, despite the fact that she herself was under house arrest and disqualified from standing. But the junta refused to hand over control, and has remained in power ever since.

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Is Burma softening its stance?

By Alastair Leithead BBC Asia correspondent Despite worldwide indignation, Ms Suu Kyi is still under house arrest This month Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi passed two milestones. The first was 14 years - that is the amount of time she has now spent in detention during the past two decades. The second was to meet Western diplomats and begin talks with Burmese military leaders - talks which some think could see her released. "Given the impasse of the last 20 years, what has happened in the last three months gives us the hope there will be some movement," says Derek Tonkin, a former British ambassador and current Burma activist. There seemed little hope of progress in August, when Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, known as The Lady, had her house arrest extended by 18 months for allowing an uninvited American man to stay in her lakeside home after swimming to see her. While the controversial court case was going on, the Obama adminstration was looking at engagement within a review of its Burma strategy ahead of elections planned for Burma next year. This was happening amid the fear of increasing Chinese influence in the gap left by Western isolation. 'Pragmatic engagement' Soon after the trial ended, Senator Jim Webb became the most senior US official to meet Burma's top general, Than Shwe. He was also allowed to see Aung San Suu Kyi - something even UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon could not do. Senator Jim Webb was allowed to visit Aung San Suu Kyi As a man reporting back directly to President Barack Obama, his message that "sanctions hadn't worked" was what the generals wanted to hear. He emphasised the increased influence of China as well - an Asia-wide trend that has Washington worried. The next step was a switch in US policy towards "pragmatic engagement" - in other words, direct senior level dialogue with the leadership. US demands include the release of political prisoners, including Ms Suu Kyi, but what are they offering in return? The only high-value card is sanctions, and that is what The Lady also used to open her own talks. Her recent letter to number one general Than Shwe requested a meeting with Western diplomats for her to establish what sanctions are in place, and it was permitted within a week. "The generals are looking for international recognition for the 2010 election. They are trying to co-opt Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy to take part in the elections without any constitutional change," said Derek Tonkin. "We are still waiting for a really significant movement, but I could see Aung San Suu Kyi being released before the election if they could secure an understanding." An end to sanctions? The message from Burma's Prime Minister Thein Sein at the recent meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) in Thailand was that the ruling generals see a role for Ms Suu Kyi in fostering reconciliation, according to Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva - and that the conditions of her detention could be relaxed. Overview of Burma sanctions Thant Myint-U, a Burmese historian and author whose grandfather was UN Secretary General U Thant, thinks her early release is possible but unlikely. He believes the purpose of the talks is partly to find out what exactly the Burmese want. "It is extremely unlikely the US Congress will overturn sanctions, but if the US government thinks the Burma generals are moving in the right direction there are other things they can do," he said. "Everything from using the name Myanmar, rather than Burma, to lifting some of the restrictions the US has on multilateral co-operation to assistance programmes." US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell made it clear that dialogue would supplement rather than replace sanctions. "We will maintain our existing sanctions until we see concrete progress," he told the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs this month. "We believe any easing of sanctions now would send the wrong signal to those who have been striving for so many years for democracy in Burma." Europe's stance Mark Farmaner, from Burma Campaign UK, which has strongly supported sanctions, said the US policy of demanding results is what the UN has failed to do, and will put extreme pressure on the regime. "Sanctions were always meant to be one of the few tools to give them leverage to force the generals into talks, but they should not be given away unless you get something in return," he said. "One hundred political prisoners of more than 2,000 are seriously ill and being systematically refused medical treatment. The regime is ruthlessly pushing ahead with its agenda. You have to look at history and come back down to earth. The junta have sometimes seemed impervious to international criticism "We are afraid of EU countries pre-emptively lifting sanctions and that would send the wrong message to the generals," he added. There doesn't appear to be much fear of that, as the European Union still has not made an official statement. Some sources suggest this is because Britain is "dragging its heels" and urging collective caution. But Western diplomats say Europe will soon open up its own dialogue with Burma, following the US lead. "The elections may not be free and fair, but we need to be there anyway," diplomats say, pointing out it's the first opportunity in 20 years for any change at all, and the West has to position itself to engage with a new government made up of at least some elected civilians. So does that mean lifting some European sanctions? Only in co-ordination with the US policy, but it's understood consideration is being put to the mechanics of what might be lifted and when. This could include the re-opening to Burma of special EU trade access for developing countries, or allowing access to international financial institutions like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank. Author Thant Myint-U thinks the ruling generals will balance their image abroad and better relations with the West against their well-established plans for a "democratic" Burma. "There is concern among some quarters in Burma of an over-reliance on China, and as the US is the only balancer they think it is time to reach out to the US," he said. Progress is slow, but as one diplomat said "anything can happen in Burma".

Burma timeline

1057 - King Anawrahta founds the first unified Burmese state at Pagan and adopts Theravada Buddhism.

Shwedagon Pagoda: Burma's key religious site Said to date back 2,500 years Restored in 1998 Jewellery donated for gold roof

1287 - Mongols under Kublai Khan conquer Pagan.
1531 - Toungoo dynasty, with Portuguese help, reunites Burma.
1755 - Alaungpaya founds the Konbaung dynasty.
1824-26 - First Anglo-Burmese war ends with the Treaty of Yandabo, according to which Burma ceded the Arakan coastal strip, between Chittagong and Cape Negrais, to British India.
1852 - Britain annexes lower Burma, including Rangoon, following the second Anglo-Burmese war.
1885-86 - Britain captures Mandalay after a brief battle; Burma becomes a province of British India.
1937 - Britain separates Burma from India and makes it a crown colony.
Japanese occupation
1942 - Japan invades and occupies Burma with some help from the Japanese-trained Burma Independence Army, which later transforms itself into the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League (AFPFL) and resists Japanese rule.
1945 - Britain liberates Burma from Japanese occupation with help from the AFPFL, led by Aung San.
1947 - Aung San and six members of his interim government assassinated by political opponents led by U Saw, a nationalist rival of Aung San's. U Nu, foreign minister in Ba Maw's government, which ruled Burma during the Japanese occupation, asked to head the AFPFL and the government.
Independence
1948 - Burma becomes independent with U Nu as prime minister.

The Irrawaddy: backbone of Burma's rice trade 2,170 km (1,350 miles) long Commercially navigable for 1,300 km (800 miles)

Mid-1950s - U Nu, together with Indian Prime Minister Nehru, Indonesian President Sukarno, Yugoslav President Tito and Egyptian President Nasser co-found the Movement of Non-Aligned States.
1958-60 - Caretaker government, led by army Chief of Staff General Ne Win, formed following a split in the ruling AFPFL party.
1960 - U Nu's party faction wins decisive victory in elections, but his promotion of Buddhism as the state religion and his tolerance of separatism angers the military.
One-party, military-led state
1962 - U Nu's faction ousted in military coup led by Gen Ne Win, who abolishes the federal system and inaugurates "the Burmese Way to Socialism" - nationalising the economy, forming a single-party state with the Socialist Programme Party as the sole political party, and banning independent newspapers.

Ne Win crushed dissent, propelled Burma into isolation 2002: Obituary - Ne Win

1974 - New constitution comes into effect, transferring power from the armed forces to a People's Assembly headed by Ne Win and other former military leaders; body of former United Nations secretary-general U Thant returned to Burma for burial.
1975 - Opposition National Democratic Front formed by regionally-based minority groups, who mounted guerrilla insurgencies.
1981 - Ne Win relinquishes the presidency to San Yu, a retired general, but continues as chairman of the ruling Socialist Programme Party.
1982 - Law designating people of non-indigenous background as "associate citizens" in effect bars such people from public office.
Riots and repression
1987 - Currency devaluation wipes out many people's savings and triggers anti-government riots.

AUNG SAN SUU KYI Resistance figure and daughter of Burma's founding father Profile: Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi: A life in pictures BBC Talking Point 2002: Interview with Aung San Suu Kyi

1988 - Thousands of people are killed in anti-government riots. The State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc) is formed.
1989 - Slorc declares martial law, arrests thousands of people, including advocates of democracy and human rights, renames Burma Myanmar, with the capital, Rangoon, becoming Yangon. NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of Aung San, is put under house arrest.
Thwarted elections
1990 - Opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) wins landslide victory in general election, but the result is ignored by the military.
1991 - Aung San Suu Kyi awarded Nobel Peace Prize for her commitment to peaceful change.
1992 - Than Shwe replaces Saw Maung as Slorc chairman, prime minister and defence minister. Several political prisoners freed in bid to improve Burma's international image.
1995 - Aung San Suu Kyi is released from house arrest after six years.
1996 - Aung San Suu Kyi attends first NLD congress since her release; Slorc arrests more than 200 delegates on their way to party congress.
1997 - Burma admitted to Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean); Slorc renamed State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).
Release of pro-democracy supporters
1998 - 300 NLD members released from prison; ruling council refuses to comply with NLD deadline for convening of parliament; student demonstrations broken up.

Mandalay, Burma's second city, saw action in World War II

1999 - Aung San Suu Kyi rejects ruling council conditions to visit her British husband, Michael Aris, who dies of cancer in UK.
2000 September - Ruling council lifts restrictions on movements of Aung San Suu Kyi and senior NLD members.
2000 October - Aung San Suu Kyi begins secret talks with ruling council.
2001 Ruling council releases some 200 pro-democracy activists. Government says releases reflect progress in talks with opposition NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi who remains under house arrest.
2001 February - Burmese army, Shan rebels clash on Thai border.
Improving border relations
2001 June - Thai Prime Minister Shinawatra visits, says relations are back on track.
2001 September - Intelligence chief Khin Nyunt visits Thailand. Burma pledges to eliminate drugs trade in the Golden Triangle by 2005.
2001 November - Chinese President Jiang Zemin visits, issues statement supporting government, reportedly urges economic reform.
Conflicting signals
2002 May - Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi released after nearly 20 months of house arrest.

Former PM Khin Nyunt was ousted in late 2004 2004: Khin Nyunt's fall from grace

2003 May - Aung San Suu Kyi taken into "protective custody" after clashes between her supporters and those of government.
2003 August - Khin Nyunt becomes prime minister. He proposes to hold convention in 2004 on drafting new constitution as part of "road map" to democracy.
2003 November - Five senior NLD leaders released from house arrest after visit of UN human rights envoy.
2004 January - Government and Karen National Union - most significant ethnic group fighting government - agree to end hostilities.
2004 May - Constitutional convention begins, despite boycott by National League for Democracy (NLD) whose leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest. The convention adjourns in July.
Prime minister ousted
2004 October - Khin Nyunt is replaced as prime minister amid reports of a power struggle. He is placed under house arrest.
2004 November - Leading dissidents are freed as part of a release of thousands of prisoners, including Min Ko Naing, who led the 1988 pro-democracy student demonstrations.
2004 December - Giant waves, generated by an undersea earthquake off the Indonesian coast, hit the coast. The prime minister says 59 people were killed and more than 3,000 left homeless.

Nay Pyi Taw: New capital is in a remote region In pictures: Inside Burma's new capital 2007: Burma's new capital city unveiled

2005 February - Constitutional convention resumes, but without the participation of the main opposition and ethnic groups. Talks end in January 2006 with no reports of any clear outcomes.
2005 7 May - Three near-simultaneous explosions go off in shopping districts in the capital; the government puts the death toll at 23.
2005 July - Asean announces that Burma has turned down the 2006 chairmanship of the regional grouping.
2005 November - Burma says its seat of government is moving to a new site near the central town of Pyinmana.
2006 March - The new capital - Nay Pyi Taw - hosts its first official event, an Armed Forces Day parade.
2007 January - China and Russia veto a draft US resolution at the UN Security Council urging Burma to stop persecuting minority and opposition groups.
2007 April - Burma and North Korea restore diplomatic ties, 24 years after Rangoon broke them off, accusing North Korean agents of staging a deadly bomb attack against the visiting South Korean president.

Protesting monks defy government orders to stay off the streets

2007 May - Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest is extended for another year.
2007 June - In a rare departure from its normally neutral stance, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) accuses the government of abusing the Burmese people's rights.
Public unrest
2007 August - Wave of public dissent sparked by fuel price hikes. Dozens of activists are arrested.
2007 September - Military government declares 14 years of constitutional talks complete and closes the National Convention.
Buddhist monks hold a series of anti-government protests. Aung San Suu Kyi is allowed to leave her house to greet monks demonstrating in Rangoon. It is her first public appearance since 2003.
Authorities begin to crack down on protests, but demonstrations continue.
UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari meets opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

CYCLONE NARGIS Thousands were left dead or missing by the 2008 cyclone Disaster tests junta

2007 October - Normality returns to Rangoon amid heavy military presence. Monks are absent, after thousands are reportedly rounded up.
After some delay, UN Security Council deplores military crackdown on peaceful protestors.
2008 January - A series of bomb blasts hits the country. State media blame "insurgent destructionists", including the Karen National Union (KNU), a group fighting for greater autonomy for the ethnic Karen people.
2008 April - Government publishes proposed new constitution, which allocates a quarter of seats in parliament to the military and bans opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from holding office. To be put to national referendum on 10 May.
Cyclone
2008 May - Cyclone Nargis hits the low-lying Irrawaddy delta. Some estimates put the death toll as high as 134,000.
Referendum proceeds amid humanitarian crisis following cyclone. Government says 92% voted in favour of draft constitution and insists it can cope with cyclone aftermath without foreign help.
Junta renews Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest.
2008 November - Dozens of political activists given sentences of up to 65 years in series of secretive trials.
2008 December - Government signs deal with consortium of four foreign firms to pipe natural gas into neighbouring China, despite protests from human rights groups.

AUNG SAN SUU KYI TRIAL Aung San Suu Kyi was convicted of breaching terms of her house arrest after a US citizen tried to visit her Court finds Suu Kyi guilty Timeline: Aung San Suu Kyi trial Profile: Aung San Suu Kyi intruder

2009 January - Thailand expels hundreds of members of Burma's Muslim Rohingya minority who appeared off its coast. Burma denies the minority's existence. Several hundred Rohingyas are subsequently rescued from boats off the coast of Indonesia.
UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari meets opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi for the first time in a year.
2009 March - Senior US State Department official Stephen Blake visits for talks with Foreign Minister Nyan Win in what the US called a routine visit. The Burmese government said it was notable given his seniority.
UN refugee agency announces expansion of work in northern Rakhine state to aid the Rohingya minority.
2009 April - The National League for Democracy (NLD) main opposition group offers to take part in planned elections if the government frees all political prisoners, changes the constitution and allows in international observers.
Aung San Suu Kyi trial
2009 May - The EU extends the 2006 sanctions for another year, but adds that they can be reviewed in the event of moves towards democracy.
UN and aid agencies say hundreds of thousands in the Irrawaddy Delta still need assistance a year after Cyclone Nargis. The UN says Burma now allows it to bring in all the staff it needs.
2009 August - Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is convicted of breaching the conditions of her house arrest, following a visit by an uninvited US national in May. The initial sentence of three years' imprisonment is commuted to 18 months' house arrest.
2009 October - Aung San Suu Kyi begins talks with Burma's military leaders and is allowed to meet Western diplomats.
2010 February - The authorities free NLD vice-chairman Tin Oo. Aung San Suu Kyi's deputy had spent more than a decade in prison or under house arrest.
2010 March - Government announces that long-awaited election laws have been passed, with provisions for an electoral commission hand-picked by the junta.

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