Aung San Suu Kyi accepts Nobel peace prize

[Symmetry]

Aung San Suu Kyi accepts Nobel peace prize

In an event hailed as the "most remarkable in the entire history of the Nobel prizes", Aung Sun Suu Kyi has delivered her acceptance speech in Oslo for the peace prize awarded to her more than two decades ago.

Given the prize in 1991 – but then under house arrest by Burma's military junta – it was left to the pro-democracy leader's two sons, Alexander and Kim, to travel to Norway to receive the peace prize that year.

Twenty-one years later and able to travel freely, Aung San Suu Kyi stood up on Saturday in front of a packed City Hall to deliver her long-delayed acceptance speech in a historic moment of high emotion.

Commended in the original citation for her "non-violent struggle" as "one of the most extraordinary examples of civil courage in Asia in recent decades" the 66-year-old activist, elected to Burma's national assembly during its fragile political transition, recalled with typical self-effacement the moment she heard she had been awarded the peace prize.

"When I joined the democracy movement in Burma it never occurred to me that I might ever be the recipient of any prize or honour. The prize we were working for was a free, secure and just society where our people might be able to realise their full potential.

The honour lay in our endeavour.

"When the Nobel committee chose to honour me, the road I had chosen of my own free will became a less lonely path to follow. For this I thank the committee, the people of Norway and peoples all over the world whose support has strengthened my faith in the common quest for peace."

In 1992, Aung San Suu Kyi said she would use the $1.3m prizemoney to establish a health and education trust for Burmese people.

Pretty inspiring, and a great landmark.

[comic boy]

She is a wonderful person and I admire her greatly , those that mouth off about 'freedom' and 'liberty' would be well advised to learn what those words really mean.

[Symmetry]

She is a wonderful person and I admire her greatly , those that mouth off about 'freedom' and 'liberty' would be well advised to learn what those words really mean.

Aye, it's great to see her recognised and get some rightful attention.

Ultimately our aim should be to create a world free from the displaced, the homeless and the hopeless, a world of which each and every corner is a true sanctuary where the inhabitants will have the freedom and the capacity to live in peace. Every thought, every word, and every action that adds to the positive and the wholesome is a contribution to peace. Each and every one of us is capable of making such a contribution. Let us join hands to try to create a peaceful world where we can sleep in security and wake in happiness.

The Nobel Committee concluded its statement of 14 October 1991 with the words: “In awarding the Nobel Peace Prize ... to Aung San Suu Kyi, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to honour this woman for her unflagging efforts and to show its support for the many people throughout the world who are striving to attain democracy, human rights and ethnic conciliation by peaceful means.” When I joined the democracy movement in Burma it never occurred to me that I might ever be the recipient of any prize or honour. The prize we were working for was a free, secure and just society where our people might be able to realize their full potential. The honour lay in our endeavour. History had given us the opportunity to give of our best for a cause in which we believed. When the Nobel Committee chose to honour me, the road I had chosen of my own free will became a less lonely path to follow. For this I thank the Committee, the people of Norway and peoples all over the world whose support has strengthened my faith in the common quest for peace. Thank you.

Speech

[saxitoxin]

she's suffered so much being confined to her palace with her servants by SLORC; hopefully the prize will be first step into opening up Burmese oil fields to western drilling which the diabolical SLORC has thus far refused

[Symmetry]

she's suffered so much being confined to her palace with her servants by SLORC; hopefully the prize will be first step into opening up Burmese oil fields to western drilling which the diabolical SLORC has thus far refused

Charming, as always Saxi.

[Army of GOD]

Why didn't Obama win another peace prize?

[saxitoxin]

she's suffered so much being confined to her palace with her servants by SLORC; hopefully the prize will be first step into opening up Burmese oil fields to western drilling which the diabolical SLORC has thus far refused

Charming, as always Saxi.

Is there anything I said that's factually incorrect? Just underline the appropriate passage and I'll be happy to amend.

[saxitoxin]

Why didn't Obama win another peace prize?

He did but the courier who was delivering it was killed by a volley of Hellfire missiles in a drone strike while en route. Aung was the backup choice.

[Phatscotty]

She is a wonderful person and I admire her greatly , those that mouth off about 'freedom' and 'liberty' would be well advised to learn what those words really mean.

As if the Swedish Nobel Prize itself isn't the absolute contradiction of Freedom and Liberty.....

"And now for the final question in our Nobel Prize selection process. Are you a leftist? If you answer yes, you win."

I thought maybe Barack Obama and Al Gore could both win another one this year. Perhaps they have too many already

[Symmetry]

she's suffered so much being confined to her palace with her servants by SLORC; hopefully the prize will be first step into opening up Burmese oil fields to western drilling which the diabolical SLORC has thus far refused

Charming, as always Saxi.

Is there anything I said that's factually incorrect? Just underline the appropriate passage and I'll be happy to amend.

Factually, are you hopeful that Aung San Suu Kyi finally being able to accept her Nobel peace prize will "be first step (sic) into opening up Burmese oil fields to western drilling which the diabolical SLORC has thus far refused"?

[saxitoxin]

She is a wonderful person and I admire her greatly , those that mouth off about 'freedom' and 'liberty' would be well advised to learn what those words really mean.

As if the Swedish Nobel Prize itself isn't the absolute contradiction of Freedom and Liberty.....

"And now for the final question in our Nobel Prize selection process. Are you a leftist? If you answer yes, you win."

I thought maybe Barack Obama and Al Gore could both win another one this year. Perhaps they have too many already

Obviously I don't agree with this, there have been many right-wingers who have recently won the prize (see: Lech Walesa), however, it's clear the Nobel Peace Prize used to be given to people who did some single, objective, easily identifiable work that brought about peace (e.g. Teddy Roosevelt for negotiating an end to the Russo-Japanese War, etc.).

Since the Cold War, however, the prize has nothing to do with promoting peace but is given to professional politicians for something (usually something vague like 'promote a culture of dialog') they've done within their country (e.g. Willy Brandt, Barack Obama). It's a disgusting interference into the sovereign affairs of states that presumes a committee of 5 Scandinavian parliament members enjoys a more complex understanding of a nation than that nation's residents.

[saxitoxin]

she's suffered so much being confined to her palace with her servants by SLORC; hopefully the prize will be first step into opening up Burmese oil fields to western drilling which the diabolical SLORC has thus far refused

Charming, as always Saxi.

Is there anything I said that's factually incorrect? Just underline the appropriate passage and I'll be happy to amend.

Factually, are you hopeful that Aung San Suu Kyi finally being able to accept her Nobel peace prize will "be first step (sic) into opening up Burmese oil fields to western drilling which the diabolical SLORC has thus far refused"?

Just underline the passage to which you object; English isn't my first language so I have difficulty deciphering complexly non-sensical sentences like the one you just penned.

[Symmetry]

hopefully the prize will be first step into opening up Burmese oil fields to western drilling

Is there anything I said that's factually incorrect? Just underline the appropriate passage and I'll be happy to amend.

Factually, are you hopeful that Aung San Suu Kyi finally being able to accept her Nobel peace prize will "be first step (sic) into opening up Burmese oil fields to western drilling which the diabolical SLORC has thus far refused"?

Just underline the passage to which you object; English isn't my first language so I have difficulty deciphering complexly non-sensical sentences like the one you just penned.

Is it a fact that you hope Aung San Suu Kyi's acceptance of the Nobel peace prize will be the first step into opening up western drilling in Burma/Myanmar?

[comic boy]

She is a wonderful person and I admire her greatly , those that mouth off about 'freedom' and 'liberty' would be well advised to learn what those words really mean.

As if the Swedish Nobel Prize itself isn't the absolute contradiction of Freedom and Liberty.....

"And now for the final question in our Nobel Prize selection process. Are you a leftist? If you answer yes, you win."

I thought maybe Barack Obama and Al Gore could both win another one this year. Perhaps they have too many already

Peres , De Klerk , Kissinger , Trimble , Arafat , Gorbachev, Al Sadat , Begin , Kissinger , Sato etc etc , bunch of raving left wingers that lot
Scotty is there any subject that you have even a slight working knowledge of
PS : To get you started the committee that awards the prize is Norwegian not Swedish
In actual fact what Saxi says is very true , much of the awards are down to political posturing, but there is no left leaning agenda as you suggest , that is just ignorant bias on your part. That being said sometimes the committee do get it right , as was the case with Aung San Su Kyi , Saxi may have his fun but the generals in Myanmar are not nice people.

[saxitoxin]

the prize will be first step into opening up Burmese oil fields to western drilling

I stand by this statement.

(1) Britain controlled Burma's oil until SLORC took over and nationalized the nation's resources for the benefit of the people of Burma.

(2) Aung and her late British husband want "privatization" of the nation's mineral wealth as part of their right-wing agenda.

(3) As Aung's foreign benefactors put her more squarely in the center of a publicity circus through PR stunts like the Nobel Prize, item 2 will come closer to realization.

Naturally, I understand why Britishers support Aung. There are questions of material benefit and national enrichment. (see: Las Malvinas)