Suu Kyi's historic European tour begins | Bangkok Post: learning

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Returning to Europe she will receive the Nobel Peace Prize won 20 years ago, make a speech to the UK parliament & travel to many countries.

Graphic above showing Aung San Suu Kyi's European tour itinerary (AFP Graphic).

Photo below of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi surrounded by media representatives ahead of her departure at Yangon International Airport, on June 13.

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Suu Kyi set for European tour

13/06/2012
Agence France-Presse (AFP)

Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi left Myanmar Wednesday on her first trip to Europe since 1988 to formally accept the Nobel Peace Prize that thrust her into the global limelight two decades ago.

Her visit marks a new milestone in the political changes that have swept through the country formerly known as Burma since decades of outright military rule ended last year, bringing to power a new quasi-civilian government.

"I would like to do my best for the interests of the people," Suu Kyi told reporters before her plane left Rangoon airport.

She will visit Switzerland, Norway, Britain, France and Ireland on her more than two week tour, which will include a speech in Oslo for her 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.

She leaves as western Myanmar is rocked by sectarian tensions between Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya that President Thein Sein has warned could disrupt the country's fragile reform process.

A spokesman for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party said the former political prisoner had instructed him to work "to help both sides equally" before she left for Europe.

Suu Kyi is due to speak at an International Labour Organization conference, address Britain's parliament and receive an Amnesty International human rights award in Dublin from rock star Bono.

Suu Kyi will also join a "family reunion" in Britain, according to her party.

For years, the opposition leader did not dare leave the country -- even to see her sons or British husband before his death from cancer in 1999 -- fearing the ruling generals would not let her return.

(Source: Bangkok Post, Suu Kyi set for European tour, 13/06/2012, Agence France-Presse (AFP), link) 

Aung San Suu Kyi Vocabulary

Aung San Suu Kyi - Burma's internationally famous opposition politician (See Wikipedia)

Suu Kyi - Short for "Aung San Suu Kyi"

National League for Democracy (NLD) - Burma's political party that has opposed the military junta for decades (See Wikipedia)

Nobel Peace Prize - an important prize awarded each year to a person who has worked for peace somewhere in the world, to those who have "done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses" (See Wikipedia)

set for - ready to do; prepared for
Suu Kyi set for European tour

opposition - of a political party that is not part of the government or a group which is against the government ฝ่ายค้าน ผู้ต่อต้าน
opposition political party
opposition leader

media - radio, television, newspaper, the Internet, considered as a group สื่อ
media representatives

departure - leaving ออกจาก
itinerary - the list of places you are traveling to during a trip

icon - someone who is very famous and who people think represents a particular idea ดาราหรือบุคคลผู้มีชื่อเสียงที่เป็นตัวแทนของสิ่งใดสิ่งหนึ่ง
democracy icon - a famous person who represents the idea of democracy in the minds of many people

in the limelight - receiving great public attention, famous (many people reading and following the story)

thrust - pushed quickly in one direction (example: the sword was thrust into the enemy's chest)
thrust into limelight - became famous quickly

global - all over the world, including the whole world ทั้งโลก
thrust her into the global limelight

decades - periods of ten years เป็นสิบๆปี
two decades ago - 20 years in the past

Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi left Myanmar Wednesday on her first trip to Europe since 1988 to formally accept the Nobel Peace Prize that thrust her into the global limelight two decades ago.

milestone - an important event in the history or development of something เหตุการณ์สำคัญ (ที่ควรบันทึกไว้) ความสำเร็จอันยิ่งใหญ่
marks a new milestone

sweep - move quickly across a surface, area or place (example: the soldiers sweep through the building searching for the enemy)
swept through

outright - complete and total
outright military rule - the government was completely and totally controlled by the military

bringing to power - when some group or political party gets control of the government

civilian - of someone who does not belong to the armed forces or the police พลเรือน
civilian government - non-military government (government by the people, for the people)

quasi - pretending to be ...; isn't really ... ; not really ...
quasi-civilian - not really civilian (actually military) 
quasi-civilian government

Her visit marks a new milestone in the political changes that have swept through the country formerly known as Burma since decades of outright military rule ended last year, bringing to power a new quasi-civilian government.

interests - who will gain or lose depending on how events turn out (example: business interests)
the interests of the people

"I would like to do my best for the interests of the people," Suu Kyi told reporters before her plane left Rangoon airport. She will visit Switzerland, Norway, Britain, France and Ireland on her more than two week tour, which will include a speech in Oslo for her 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.

sectarian - caused by disagreements among people from different religious groups ที่ำ่ก่อโดยลัทธิ หรือชนกลุ่มต่างๆ
tensions - disagreements and lack of trust that could break out in conflict and violence ความตึงเครียด

rocked - disturbed by, unsettled by; thrown into disorder and chaos by
rocked by sectarian tensions

Rohingya - a Muslim people who live in the Arakan region near Burma's border with Bangladesh (See Wikipedia)

disrupt - cause difficulties and prevent activity from continuing normally ทำให้ยุ่งเหยิง, ทำให้ยุ่งยาก  ทำให้เสียกระบวน, ทำให้เสียระบบ, ทำให้สับสน
fragile - easily damaged; not firm or strong  ที่เปราะบาง ที่หักง่าย

reform - improvement; a change that is intended to correct a situation that is wrong or unfair การแก้ไข การปฏิรูป
process - a series of actions that you take in order to achieve a result แนวทางปฏิบัติ, กระบวน, วิธีการ

fragile reform process - meaning: improvements are being made with difficulty and could stop or even reverse in the future

political prisoner - "someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country" (See Wikipedia)

She leaves as western Myanmar is rocked by sectarian tensions between Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya that President Thein Sein has warned could disrupt the country's fragile reform process. A spokesman for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party said the former political prisoner had instructed him to work "to help both sides equally" before she left for Europe.

International Labour Organization (ILO) - the United Nations organization that supports labour worldwide and works for labour laws and labour rights (See Wikipedia)

address - a formal speech คำปราศรัย
address Britain's parliament - make a speech to the UK parliament

Amnesty International - an NGO "focused on human rights with over 3 million members and supporters around the world. The objective of the organisation is 'to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated'" (See Wikipedia)

human rights - rights that every person should have (See Wikipedia)
rights - something you are legally or morally allowed to do or have (See Wikipedia) สิทธิ์

award - a prize or a sum of money that is given to someone following an official decision รางวัล
Amnesty International human rights award

rock star Bono - an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the band U2 (See Wikipedia)

reunion - a situation in which people meet each other again after a period of time when they have been separated การพบกันอีกครั้ง
family reunion - an event when the people in a family (brothers, sisters, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles) all get together after a long time not seeing each other

dare - not afraid to do something; brave
did not dare to ... - would not do because afraid; not brave enough to do ...

ruling generals

Suu Kyi is due to speak at an International Labour Organization conference, address Britain's parliament and receive an Amnesty International human rights award in Dublin from rock star Bono. Suu Kyi will also join a "family reunion" in Britain, according to her party. For years, the opposition leader did not dare leave the country -- even to see her sons or British husband before his death from cancer in 1999 -- fearing the ruling generals would not let her return.

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