The Asia Foundation Hosts Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

First speech in Bay Area after decades of detention

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Member of Parliament, Burma (also known as Myanmar) and Chairperson and General Secretary, National League of Democracy, makes her first Bay Area public remarks at The Asia Foundation today. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will speak to an exclusive and invitation-only audience of Bay Area political, civic, and business leaders; her remarks will immediately follow a private meeting with David D. Arnold, president of The Asia Foundation, and the organization’s trustees.

“We are honored that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi chose to visit The Asia Foundation during her brief time in the Bay Area”

The Asia Foundation also announced today a specialized book donation to establish a reference library for the Burmese Parliament Secretariat through its Books for Asia program. Foundation specialists in democratization and governance selected more than 600 volumes for the Parliament Library, including subscriptions to leading international journals and periodicals.

“We are honored that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi chose to visit The Asia Foundation during her brief time in the Bay Area,” said Arnold. “The Foundation is a long-standing partner in Asia’s development, and we have consistently supported reform-minded leaders such as Suu Kyi in their efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and promote the rule of law. We are encouraged and excited by Burma's remarkable transformation.”

In order to ensure that Burma’s social, political, and economic reforms are durable, The Asia Foundation is undertaking an expanded program of development assistance.

Taking advantage of the Foundation's extensive experience in other Asian countries, it will pursue an ambitious program of development activities, including: strengthening core institutions of democratic governance; enhancing the country's foreign affairs capabilities, especially as Burma prepares to chair ASEAN in 2014; supporting the management of sub-national conflict; ensuring free, fair, and credible elections; ensuring access to information and informed public debate; and assisting with economic reforms for broad-based growth and increased opportunities for all.

Added Arnold: “The Asia Foundation maintained an office in Burma from 1954 to 1962; and since 2007 we have donated more than 80,000 books valued at $3.2 million. Our staff of international and local development experts has worked with virtually every major Asian country that has undergone a democratic transition, such as Mongolia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Korea. The Asia Foundation is well positioned to make an important contribution to the reform agenda introduced by President Thein Sein, and we look forward to partnering with the country's emerging leadership.”

A slightly expanded version of this announcement, to include remarks from Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, will post to asiafoundation.org after 5:30 p.m. Pacific today.

About The Asia Foundation

The Asia Foundation is a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives, expanding opportunities, and helping societies flourish across a dynamic and developing Asia. Drawing on nearly 60 years of experience in Asia, the Foundation works with innovative leaders and committed local partners in 17 countries to advance good governance, sustainable development, and regional cooperation. With 17 offices throughout Asia, an office in Washington, DC, and its headquarters in San Francisco, the Foundation addresses these issues on both a country and regional level. In 2011, the Foundation provided more than $97 million in program support and distributed nearly one million books and journals valued at over $41 million.

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High-resolution images available.

Watch a live broadcast at 3:15 PDT on asiafoundation.org.

Follow updates on Twitter at: @Asia_Foundation.