Aung San Suu Kyi, the human-rights activist in Myanmar who was held for 15 years under house arrest, is leaving her native country for the first time in more than two decades.
Kyi, who recently was elected to Parliament after being released by Myanmar government, will travel in mid-June to Switzerland, Norway, England, France and Ireland. In Norway, she will receive the Nobel Peace Prize she was never allowed to claim, while in England she’ll address both houses of Parliament. And in Ireland, she’ll attend a celebratory concert led by U2’s Bono, one of her longtime supporters.
But first, this week she’ll be flying to Thailand to address an economic summit meeting of East Asian leaders.
Kyi, 66, reverently known as the Lady, has long been a symbol of opposition to her country’s brutal regime.
The tour is an indication of her confidence as an elected official; between periods of house arrest, she never left Myanmar for fear she wouldn’t be allowed back in.
