Tom Lantos: “Mr. Speaker, nearly two decades ago, Aung San Suu Kyi embarked on a personal journey that would parallel the terrible…”

“Mr. Speaker, nearly two decades ago, Aung San Suu Kyi embarked on a personal journey that would parallel the terrible nightmare of her people, the people of Burma. That was the year in which she helped found the National League for Democracy, a movement to promote democratic change in her homeland. Her long and torturous journey has led her to both a Nobel Peace Prize and seemingly eternal incarceration. Rather than cede to the widespread calls and massive protests for a free and fair election, a military junta seized and maintained power in Burma. The regime feared the power of one fearless voice for democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi. In 1990, the military junta finally permitted a general election, which the National League for Democracy won handily. The military promptly nullified the results, preventing the daughter of the very general who negotiated Burma's independence from taking her rightful place as Prime Minister. Since then, Mr. Speaker, Aung San Suu Kyi has been tossed back and forth in and out of prison and house arrest as though she were simply a pawn in the tumultuous and chaotic game being played by the corrupt fat cats running Burma.”