On the occasion of the 64th birthday of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, NDI President Kenneth Wollack joined the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, U.S. Campaign for Burma and others to honor the incarcerated leader of Burma’s democratic opposition. Daw Suu Kyi, who has been in custody for 13 of the last 19 years, was sent to Rangoon’s notorious Insein Prison on May 14 on charges she violated the terms of her house arrest. She was later sentenced to three years of hard labor before her sentence was commuted to a new term of house arrest of up to 18 months.

Speaking at a June 18 reception held on Capitol Hill, Wollack expressed outrage at the treatment of Daw Suu Kyi but admiration for her resilient character. “Despite the hardship of the last month that Daw Suu has endured,” Wollack said, “she has exhibited courage and grace. She has inspired anew the Burmese people and the international community to continue in the larger struggle for a free and democratic Burma.”

Event Date and Times:
June 18, 2009, at 3:30 p.m.

Read the entirety of Wollack’s remarks below.