Name: President Obama's Trip to Burma (Myanmar): Aung San Suu Kyi, University of Yangon (2012)
Uploaded: 2017-08-15T17:26:29.000Z
Duration: 35 min 24 s
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DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI: I would like to say how happy I am to receive President Obama

in my country and in my house. The friendship between our two countries is of long standing.

The United States has been staunch in its support of the democracy movement in Burma,

and we are confident that this support will continue through the difficult years that

lie ahead. I say difficult because the most difficult time in any transition is when we

think that success is in sight. Then we have to be very careful that we are not lured by

a mirage of success and that we are working to a genuine success for our people and for

the friendship between our two countries.

I believe that we have been able to discuss our various concerns openly, and that as a

result of the President’s visit to this country, the relations between our countries

can only progress in the right direction.

I intend fully to keep in touch with the United States government as far as possible, and

to make sure that we always liaise one another on the most important matters.

Now, I’m told I have three minutes, and I think this is about three minutes. So thank

you all for coming. And I leave the floor to President Obama.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, I’ll try to be pretty brief, although not as eloquent. I was honored

to be the first President to welcome Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to the White House. I’m proud

to be the first American President to visit this spectacular country, and I am very pleased

that one of my first stops is to visit with an icon of democracy who has inspired so many

people not just in this country but all around the world.

I especially want to thank Aung San Suu Kyi for welcoming me to her home. Here, through

so many difficult years, is where she displayed such unbreakable courage and determination.

It’s here where she showed that human freedom and dignity cannot be denied.

Today marks the next step in a new chapter between the United States and Burma. Last

year, in response to early flickers of reform, I asked Secretary Clinton to visit this country

and explore with Aung San Suu Kyi and the government whether the United States could

empower reform efforts and begin a new relationship between our peoples.

In the year since, we’ve seen some very encouraging progress, including Daw Aung San

Suu Kyi’s release and election to Parliament; the release of political prisoners; the lifting

of restrictions on the press; and new laws to expand labor rights and eliminate the use

of child soldiers. And at my direction, the United States has responded to support these

reforms, including the easing of sanctions.

Now, as a former legislator myself, I followed your role in the new Parliament with interest

and admiration. Real democracy involves having different branches of government check and

balance each other, and I applaud your efforts in that regard, particularly as the head of

In my discussions here in Yangon, our goal is to sustain the momentum for democratization.

That includes building credible government institutions, establishing rule of law, ending

ethnic conflicts, and ensuring that the people of this country have access to greater education,

And I want to make a pledge to the people of this country that I am confident we can

keep, and that is if we see continued progress towards reform, our bilateral ties will grow

stronger and we will do everything we can to help ensure success.

I'm so happy, by the way, to be joined by Secretary Clinton. This is her last foreign

trip that we're going to take together, and it is fitting that we have come here to a

country that she has done so much to support.

Where did Hillary go? Where is she? There she is. (Applause.)

I could not be more grateful, not only for your service, Hillary, but also for the powerful

message that you and Aung San Suu Kyi send about the importance of women and men everywhere

embracing and promoting democratic values and human rights.

So again, I want to thank you, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, for your extraordinary hospitality

and grace; the power of your example, which has been an inspiration to people all around

the world, including myself. Clearly, you will be playing a key role in your country's

future for many years to come as Burma seeks the freedom and the prosperity and the dignity

that not only the people of this country deserve but people all around the world deserve.

So thank you for your inspiring message. (Applause.)

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you. (Applause.) Myanmar Naingan, Mingalaba! (Laughter and applause.)

I am very honored to be here at this university and to be the first President of the United

I came here because of the importance of your country. You live at the crossroads of East

and South Asia. You border the most populated nations on the planet. You have a history

that reaches back thousands of years, and the ability to help determine the destiny

of the fastest growing region of the world.

I came here because of the beauty and diversity of your country. I have seen just earlier

today the golden stupa of Shwedagon, and have been moved by the timeless idea of metta -- the

belief that our time on this Earth can be defined by tolerance and by love. And I know

this land reaches from the crowded neighborhoods of this old city to the homes of more than

60,000 villages; from the peaks of the Himalayas, the forests of Karen State, to the banks of

I came here because of my respect for this university. It was here at this school where

opposition to colonial rule first took hold. It was here that Aung San edited a magazine

before leading an independence movement. It was here that U Thant learned the ways of

the world before guiding it at the United Nations. Here, scholarship thrived during

the last century and students demanded their basic human rights. Now, your Parliament has

at last passed a resolution to revitalize this university and it must reclaim its greatness,

because the future of this country will be determined by the education of its youth.

I came here because of the history between our two countries. A century ago, American

traders, merchants and missionaries came here to build bonds of faith and commerce and friendship.

And from within these borders in World War II, our pilots flew into China and many of

our troops gave their lives. Both of our nations emerged from the British Empire, and the United

States was among the first countries to recognize an independent Union of Burma. We were proud

to found an American Center in Rangoon and to build exchanges with schools like this

one. And through decades of differences, Americans have been united in their affection for this

Above all, I came here because of America’s belief in human dignity. Over the last several

decades, our two countries became strangers. But today, I can tell you that we always remained

hopeful about the people of this country, about you. You gave us hope and we bore witness

We saw the activists dressed in white visit the families of political prisoners on Sundays

and monks dressed in saffron protesting peacefully in the streets. We learned of ordinary people

who organized relief teams to respond to a cyclone, and heard the voices of students

and the beats of hip-hop artists projecting the sound of freedom. We came to know exiles

and refugees who never lost touch with their families or their ancestral home. And we were

inspired by the fierce dignity of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, as she proved that no human being

can truly be imprisoned if hope burns in your heart.

When I took office as President, I sent a message to those governments who ruled by

fear. I said, in my inauguration address, “We will extend a hand if you are willing

to unclench your fist.” And over the last year and a half, a dramatic transition has

begun, as a dictatorship of five decades has loosened its grip. Under President Thein Sein,

the desire for change has been met by an agenda for reform. A civilian now leads the government,

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President Obama's Trip to Burma (Myanmar): Aung San Suu Kyi, University of Yangon (2012)

potential

recognize

opportunity

applause