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Aung San Suu Kyi Facts & Worksheets

Aung San Suu Kyi is a Burmese politician, stateswoman, author, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

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Aung San Suu Kyi is a Burmese politician, stateswoman, author, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as the State Counsellor of Myanmar and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2016 to 2021. She has been detained after the Myanmar military claimed that the results of the November 2020 general election were fraudulent. As of writing, she has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for multiple charges, including corruption and election fraud.

See the fact file below for more information on Aung San Suu Kyi, or you can download our 25-page Aung San Suu Kyi worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE AND CHILDHOOD

  • Aung San Suu Kyi was born on June 19, 1945, in Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar).
  • Her father, Aung San, was formerly the de facto prime minister of British Burma who founded the modern Burmese army and led Burma’s independence from the United Kingdom in 1947.
  • When Aung San Suu Kyi was two years old, her father was assassinated by his rivals in 1947; he has since been considered Myanmar’s “Father of Independence.”
  • Her mother, Khin Kyi, is a Burmese diplomat who served as the Member of Parliament representing Rangoon’s Lanmadaw Township (1947–1948), the Minister of Social Welfare (1953–1960), and Burmese Ambassador to India (1960–1967).
  • Aung San Suu Kyi was born the third child.
  • She has two brothers, Aung San Lin and Aung San Oo, whom she grew up with.
  • Aung San Lin passed away at eight years old when he drowned in an ornamental lake on the grounds of the house.
  • Aung San Oo immigrated to San Diego, California, and became a United States citizen.
  • Like other Burmese names, Aung San Suu Kyi does not have a surname.
  • Her full name is derived from her father (“Aung San”), her paternal grandmother (“San”); and her mother (“Kyi”).

EDUCATION

  • For her early education, she attended Methodist English High School (now known as Basic Education High School No. 1 Dagon).
  • From a young age, she already had a knack for learning languages.
  • At present, she can speak four languages: Burmese, English, Japanese, and French.
  • When her mother was appointed Burmese ambassador to India in 1960, Aung San Suu Kyi also resided in India.
  • For high school, she studied at the Convent of Jesus and Mary School in New Delhi.
  • She pursued further studies at Lady Shri Ram College, a constituent college of the University of Delhi in New Delhi.
  • She obtained a degree in politics in 1964.
  • After studying in India, she went on to study at the University of Oxford, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics in 196

PERSONAL LIFE AND FAMILY

  • In Oxford, she met her would-be husband, Michael Aris, a British scholar of Tibetan culture and civilization, whom she married in 1972.
  • They had two children: Alexander, who was born in 1973, and Kim, who was born in 1977.
  • Their family lived a relatively quiet life through the 1970s and 1980s.
  • From 1985 to 1987, she worked towards a Master of Philosophy degree in Burmese literature as a research student at SOAS (the School of Oriental and African Studies) at the University of London.

POLITICAL BEGINNINGS

  • In 1988, Aung San Suu Kyi was informed that her mother had suffered a stroke.
  • Aung San Suu Kyi left her family behind in England and returned to Burma to nurse her ailing mother.
  • The political climate of Burma at the time of Aung San Suu Kyi’s return was colored with protests against the dictatorial rule of long-time military leader U Ne Win.
  • Amid the mass demonstrations, Aung San Suu Kyi rose to the occasion to call for a democratic government and protection of human rights as she spoke publicly against U Ne Win.
  • In September 1988, a new military junta became in charge.
  • Shortly thereafter, Aung San Suu Kyi helped found the National League for Democracy (NLD) as part of her efforts to work towards democratization.
  • In July 1989, she was placed under house arrest by the military government of Burma, which was renamed the Union of Myanmar.
  • She did not have any means to communicate with the outside world while she was under house arrest in Yangon.
  • In 1990, NLD won more than 80 percent of the parliamentary seats, but the military government nullified the election results (which were officially annulled 20 years later).
  • When Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, she was still under house arrest, so her children, Alexander and Kim, accepted the award on her behalf.

RELEASE FOR FIVE YEARS

  • It was in July 1995 when Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest after six years of detention.
  • When her husband came to visit her in the Christmas of 1995, that was the last time they would be with each other before Michael passed away in London in 1999.
  • This was because the junta had denied Michael’s visa, and Aung San Suu Kyi stayed in Myanmar, assuming that she would not be allowed to reenter the country if she left.
  • In 1998, she formed a representative committee that she declared as Myanmar’s “legitimate ruling body.”

EXTENDED HOUSE ARREST

  • From September 2000 to May 2002, she was again placed under house arrest by the military junta, supposedly for violating restrictions by trying to travel outside Yangon.
  • Another period of house arrest for Aung San Suu Kyi occurred after the Depayin massacre in 2003.
  • On May 30, 2003, there were about 70 people associated with the National League for Democracy were killed by pro-government demonstrators.
  • Her sentence has been renewed every year since.
  • To call for Aung San Suu Kyi’s release, international protests were held around the world.
  • In 2007, her house arrest got extended by one year despite an appeal from the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, to General Than Shwe.
  • In 2008, she was allowed access to a number of magazines and to receive letters from her children living abroad. 
  • In July 2009, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon personally traveled to Burma to call for Aung San Suu Kyi’s release and to institute democratic reform but was unsuccessful.
  • In August 2009, she was sentenced to an 18-month extension of her house arrest due to a violation that arose after a trespasser allegedly entered her compound and stayed in her house.
  • There was a widespread suspicion that her conviction was made to prevent her from participating in the multiparty parliamentary elections slated for 2010.

POSITIONS IN HELD OFFICE

  • Six days after the 2010 elections, Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest.
  • In January 2012, she registered to run for a seat in parliament, which she subsequently won and took office.
  • She has been the incumbent chairperson of the National League for Democracy (NLD) since 2011 and acted as the party’s general secretary from 1988 to 2011.
  • She served as the State Counsellor of Myanmar and the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2016 to 2021.
  • She has been criticized for her response to the Rohingya crisis.

RECENT ARREST

  • Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested on February 1, 2021, following a coup d’état that placed the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces) in power and led to nationwide protests.
  • The Myanmar military declared the results of the November 2020 general election fraudulent.
  • In December 2021, she was sentenced to four years in prison for charges related to “violation of the official secrets act” and “incitement to sedition.”
  • In January 2022, she was sentenced to four additional years in prison on another set of charges.
  • In April of the same year, she was sentenced to five years in prison for charges related to corruption.

Aung San Suu Kyi Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Aung San Suu Kyi across 25 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets about Aung San Suu Kyi, a Burmese politician, stateswoman, author, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as the State Counsellor of Myanmar and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2016 to 2021.

Complete list of included worksheets:

  1. Aung San Suu Kyi Facts
  2. Like Parents, Like Daughter
  3. False Statements
  4. House Arrest Timeline
  5. News of Release
  6. Agree or Disagree?
  7. Sketch The Scene
  8. Notable Female Leaders
  9. Nobel Peace Prize Wins
  10. Life Recap
  11. A Personal Poem

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Aung San Suu Kyi famous for?

Heavily inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s doctrine of non-violence and Buddhist teachings, Aung San Suu Kyi dedicated herself to politics with the goal of democratization. She was a key figure in forming the National League for Democracy on September 27, 1988; however, her revolutionary activities were halted when she was placed under house arrest on July 20, 1989.

What are Aung San Suu Kyi’s achievements?

In just two years, Aung San Suu Kyi’s bravery and resilience were recognized internationally with the Rafto Prize and Sakharov Prize in 1990, followed by a Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. The recognition extended to 1992 when she received India’s most prestigious honor – Jawaharlal Nehru peace prize – lovingly known as “Daw” (elder sister) Aung San Suu Kyi.

When was Aung San Suu Kyi born?

An icon of democracy and hope, Aung San Suu Kyi was born on June 19, 1945.

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Use With Any Curriculum

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