Aung San Suu Kyi to Give First International Speech in Geneva

Posted May 22nd, 2012 at 6:50 am (UTC-5)
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United Nations officials say Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will deliver a speech to a labor conference in Geneva next month.

International Labor Organization Director-General Juan Somavia said Tuesday that Aung San Suu Kyi will address the annual ILO conference on June 14.

The long-time pro-democracy activist will be making her first trip outside Burma in 24 years, after spending much of the past two decades under house arrest.

She will also travel to Norway to give the acceptance speech for her Nobel Peace Prize, which she won nearly 21 years ago but was unable to accept in person because of her detention.

She also plans to give an speech to both houses of parliament in Britain, where she lived for years with her husband, who is now deceased.

The 66-year-old has not traveled outside Burma since returning to her homeland in 1988, fearing the military junta that held on to power until 2011 would not permit her to return.

Her European journey follows months of dramatic change in Burma, including a historic election in April that won her a seat in a parliament that replaces nearly five decades of oppressive military rule.