Burmese Nobel Peace Prize Laureate receives Oxford Doctorate

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is on a four-day visit to the United Kingdom.

The 67 year old Burmese activist has not returned to the UK, which was once her home, for 24 years, fearing that she would not be permitted to return to Burma if she left. Suu Kyi will address both Houses of Parliament in Westminster Hall on Thursday, becoming the first person who is not a Head of State to do so. She will also meet with Prime Minister David Cameron, along with other government officials, members of the Burmese exiled community, and Non-Governmental Organizations.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) welcomed Aung San Suu Kyi’s arrival to the United Kingdom, and expressed support for Suu Kyi’s call for increased aid to Burmese refugees.

CSW Public Affairs Officer Matthew Jones told Vatican Radio that, having visited Burma a little more than a year ago, neither he nor his colleagues could have foreseen that the situation in the country would ever be at a place where Aung San Suu Kyi could return to the UK on an official visit. “The fact that ‘The Lady,’ as she’s known, is here on the visit in London is incredibly exciting and points to the fact that there are changes underway at the moment in Burma.”

Suu Kyi’s visit to the UK, Jones explained, is part of a “’diplomatic’ reaching out”

“Part of it is an opportunity for not just the government here in the UK,” he said, “but also for Parliament, for NGO’s who have been involved in advocacy on Burma for many years, and for civil society to have an opportunity to dialogue directly Aung San Suu Kyi, herself obviously involved critically with Burma for a number of decades now, as we move forward looking for solutions for some of the ongoing problems in Burma.”

“Burma is, in many senses, at a crossroads,” Jones continued. “There is all sorts of potential for this country, and we’re really just wanting to make sure that the right decisions are made... and that Aung San Suu Kyi and those who really are desiring democracy, a framework of human rights and justice in their country, really do have a voice, and that that voice is heard, and ultimately borne is through in some of the decisions that are being made day-to-day in Burma.”

Listen here to Ann Schneible's interview with Public Affairs Officer for CSW, Matthew Jones: