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Myanmar's Suu Kyi begins landmark US visit

Last Updated 04 May 2018, 07:49 IST

Myanmar's democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi arrived here today on a 17-day whirl-wind tour of the United States, her first visit to the country after being released from house arrest in 2010.

The Nobel Peace laureate will be presented with Congress' highest award - the Congressional Gold Medal - during her visit that comes as the Obama administration considers easing remaining sanctions on Myanmar.

Suu Kyi is scheduled to meet top American leaders including, the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton; in Washington tomorrow and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in New York later in the week.

"She's been a very strong voice for continued ties between our country for education, for reform, all those kinds of things. The Secretary (of State) takes counsel with her whenever she can, and I think they'll have another opportunity for that tomorrow," the State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, told reporters at her daily news conference.

"The changes and reform steps that we've seen in Burma (Myanmar) in the last year are qualitatively and quantitatively broader and deeper than we had seen at any time before, with the allowing of Suu Kyi's party to run, with release of prisoners, with the outreach to all of the minority groups," she said.

During the Washington-leg of her trip Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to meet a host of US lawmakers, who are also hoisting a private reception of her in addition to presenting her with the Congressional Gold Medal award on Wednesday.

After four-day stay in Washington, Aung San Suu Kyi (ASSK) would travel to New York on September 21 where she is expected to meet the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon and a possible meeting with her fellow Noble Laureate.

Staying in New York during the annual UN General Assembly, she is expected to meet a host of world leaders, possible address the world body.

Among her publicly announced events, Aung San Suu Kyi would receive the Global Citizen Award from the Atlantic Council in New York on September 21.

Congressman Joseph Crowley and she would be speaking together in Queens, Flushing in New York.

Aung San Suu Kyi would spending September 23 and 24 in Louisville, Kentucky which includes sighting at the Robert Clay Hourse Farm, which is widely known as one of the world's preeminent horse farms with Senator Mitch McConnell.

Both of them would be addressing the University of Louisville.
From Louisville, the popular Burmese leader would head to Fort Wayne, in Indiana, which is known as Little Burma, given that it has among the highest concentration of the Burmese community in the US.

She would be back to New York for a day on September 26, before heading to New Haven for a Chubb Fellow lecture at the prestigious Yale University.

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(Published 18 September 2012, 05:07 IST)

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