Alexander Aris

Alexander Aris Myint San Aung (Burmese: မြင့်ဆန်းအောင်, pronounced [mjɪ̰ɴ sʰáɴ àʊɴ]; born 12 April 1973) is a civil rights activist of British and Burmese descent. Alexander Aris is the elder son of Aung San Suu Kyi and Michael Aris. He is also a grandson of Aung San, who founded the modern Burmese army and negotiated Burma's independence from the United Kingdom in 1947 and the pioneer of democracy in Myanmar.

Early life

Aris was born on 12 April 1973 in London, United Kingdom, to Aung San Suu Kyi and Michael Aris. His younger brother Kim Aris was born in 1977. His family home was in Park Town, North Oxford. In March 1988, his mother returned to Burma in order to nurse her dying mother Daw Khin Kyi, the wife of Aung San.[1] She did not return to Oxford until June 2012, having been placed under house arrest in Burma for political reasons in 1989.

Education

Aris was educated at two independent schools in his home city of Oxford, in southern England: at The Dragon School, a co-educational preparatory (junior) school, followed by Magdalen College School, a senior school for boys, which he left in 1990. He graduated from Northern Illinois University in the United States and received a MSc in Mathematical Sciences.

Life after mother's detention

In 1989, Alexander and his brother Kim were both stripped of their Burmese citizenships by the ruling junta. The two brothers are British nationals.[2]

In 1991, Alexander's mother Aung San Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts in Burma. At the time, Alexander Aris (age 18) and his brother Kim Aris (age 14) accepted the Prize on their mother's behalf. The Nobel Peace Prize's 1.3 million USD prize money was used to establish a health and education trust for the Burmese people.[3] Over the years, Alexander Aris has accepted many awards and given many speeches on behalf of his mother. They include accepting The Award of the International Human Rights Law Group; welcoming the arrival of the Olympic Torch in Spain;[4] and accepting the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[5]

After his father's death in 1999, Alexander visited his mother for a short time.

References

  1. ↑ Stanford, Peter (22 June 2012). "The pain of Aung Sun Suu Kyi’s sons, parted from their mother for 25 years". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  2. ↑ "Myanmar back on a roadmap to nowhere". Asia Times Online. 4 December 2007.
  3. ↑ Miller, J. E. Who's who in contemporary women's writing. p. 22. Routledge, 2001.
  4. ↑ "By Aung San Suu Kyi (Statements, Speeches, Writings, Interviews)". Online Burma/Myanmar Library.
  5. ↑ "Clinton honours Burma's Suu Kyi". BBC News. BBC. 7 December 2000.
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