WOMAN IN THE WORLD

Suu Kyi Advocates for Minorities in Speech

In first address from parliament floor.

Aung San Suu Kyi took to the floor of Burma’s Parliament Wednesday for the first time to speak out in support of new laws backed by the country’s ruling party that would offer more protection for ethnic minorities. Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate, was sworn into Burma’s newly founded semi-civilian-run Parliament last year after spending nearly two decades under house arrest demanded by the country’s former repressive regime. Her speech today marks the significant change her country has undergone. Suu Kyi spoke on behalf of Burma’s ethnic minorities who have long suffered discrimination and underdevelopment, arguing that new legislation should be “based on equality, mutual respect, and confidence for the emergence of a genuine democratic union.”