Myanmar's Suu Kyi greeted in Thailand
Source: Agencies |
May 31, 2012, Thursday
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NOBEL Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi received a rapturous reception in Thailand yesterday from crowds of cheering compatriots who flocked to celebrate her first trip outside Myanmar in nearly a quarter-century.
More than 1,000 Myanmar migrants lined the streets waving flags and holding aloft pictures of Suu Kyi as she arrived to give a speech from the balcony of a dilapidated building in an industrial zone on the fringes of the Thai capital, Bangkok.
Suu Kyi, who will visit refugees from Myanmar in border camps later on her four-day visit, had refused to leave her country for fear of being blocked from returning by the former military junta whose rule she challenged.
Dressed in a floral blouse and red traditional longhi, or sarong, Suu Kyi waved and smiled as the crowd chanting "Mother Suu" jostled for a glimpse of her.
Suu Kyi said she would work to improve the rights and working conditions of Myanmar migrants.
"I don't want to make promises. It's not good if you cannot keep your promises ... but I can make you one promise - I will try my very best," she told the crowd, speaking in their native language.
Suu Kyi meeting fellow citizens in another country was unthinkable 18 months ago, when she was freed from house arrest days after an election.
The government that emerged from the vote has introduced a series of reforms.
Suu Kyi will address a World Economic Forum conference on East Asia tomorrow.
More than 1,000 Myanmar migrants lined the streets waving flags and holding aloft pictures of Suu Kyi as she arrived to give a speech from the balcony of a dilapidated building in an industrial zone on the fringes of the Thai capital, Bangkok.
Suu Kyi, who will visit refugees from Myanmar in border camps later on her four-day visit, had refused to leave her country for fear of being blocked from returning by the former military junta whose rule she challenged.
Dressed in a floral blouse and red traditional longhi, or sarong, Suu Kyi waved and smiled as the crowd chanting "Mother Suu" jostled for a glimpse of her.
Suu Kyi said she would work to improve the rights and working conditions of Myanmar migrants.
"I don't want to make promises. It's not good if you cannot keep your promises ... but I can make you one promise - I will try my very best," she told the crowd, speaking in their native language.
Suu Kyi meeting fellow citizens in another country was unthinkable 18 months ago, when she was freed from house arrest days after an election.
The government that emerged from the vote has introduced a series of reforms.
Suu Kyi will address a World Economic Forum conference on East Asia tomorrow.
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