Asia-Pacific

Myanmar political figure Aung San Suu Kyi freed

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-11-13 21:11

Under an offer of Myanmar top leader Senior-General Than Shwe, SPDC Chairman, for a conditional and direct talk to her personally in 2007, Aung San Suu Kyi once met with Myanmar Liaison Minister U Aung Kyi for five times with the last one in January 2008 since talks were initiated in October 2007.

Recalling that after taking over the power of state on September 18, 1988, the military government sponsored a multi-party general election across the country on May 27, 1990 when Aung San Suu Kyi was under house arrest. In that election, her NLD swept the majority of the parliamentary seats, winning 392 out of 485.

The then election was run by 93 political parties, of which 27 parties won parliamentary seats.

Voiding the result of the 1990 general election, the military government started convening the constitutional national convention in January 1993 to lay down basic principles for drafting a new state constitution and the national convention was participated by the NLD at the early stage.

In November 1995, the NLD walked out of the convention owing to constitution-drafting issue, turning the session into a status of long adjournment from March 1996 to April 2004.

The government announced a seven-step roadmap to democracy in August 2003, outlining steps including reconvening of the long- suspended constitutional national convention, drafting of new state constitution, holding of national referendum on drafted constitution, holding of general election to produce parliamentary representatives and formation of new civilian government.

Over the first step of the government's seven-step roadmap, the NLD refused to rejoin the resumed national convention in 2004 and kept boycotting.

When the government called on old political parties, along with newly-formed ones to get registered for November 7 general election, the NLD rejected, citing the issue of election law and as a result the party was dissolved according to the law.

In the midst, a group of ex-senior members breaking away from the NLD, organized a new party -- the National Democratic Force ( NDF) and took part in contesting in the just-ended 2010 general election.

Born in 1945, Aung San Suu Kyi is daughter of late General Aung San, father of Myanmar's independence and father of Myanmar's armed forces who was assassinated in 1947 amid the period when the country was struggling for independence.

Brought up in India, she returned to Yangon in April 1988 to care for her then ailing mother, Daw Khin Kyi, a former ambassador to India.

The then prevailing explosive political situation against then ruling government of the single party -- Burma Socialist Program Party brought her to the political arena.