After two-decade gap Suu Kyi set for US return
The
Nobel laureate, who was elected to parliament this year, will travel to
Washington to meet US President Barack Obama whose government has been
at the forefront of Western re-engagement with the long-time military
dominated country.
She
will also be showered in awards including the Congressional Gold Medal,
the top honour bestowed by the US Congress, and meet Burmese diaspora
groups as far apart as New York and San Francisco.
During
her near three-week trip Suu Kyi is likely to be quizzed about reforms
that have seen Myanmar take tentative steps onto the global stage after
decades under a secretive military regime.
"I
think Daw Suu can talk at least about the reforms situation in Myanmar.
She will get this opportunity," Nyan Win, a spokesman for Suu Kyi's
National League for Democracy party said, using a common honorific for
the Nobel laureate.
The opposition leader will travel with just three other people, he added, and is expected to arrive in Washington tomorrow.
Despite the predicted red carpet welcome her visit is laced with potential political trouble.
Suu
Kyi's stay coincides with that of Myanmar's President Thein Sein, who
is due in the US later in the month to attend the United Nations General
Assembly.
The
67-year-old could also face tricky questions on the treatment of
stateless Rohingya Muslims after a wave of deadly communal violence in
western Myanmar.
Suu
Kyi has remained cautious in her comments about the group, who many in
Myanmar believe are foreigners and therefore not entitled to
citizenship.
Last week the US embassy in Yangon expressed its "great concern" at the humanitarian situation in Rakhine state.
No comments:
Post a Comment