Alexander Aris

Alexander Aris
Alexander Aris
Myint San Aung ; မြင့်ဆန်းအောင်
Born	Alexander Myint San Aung Aris; 12 April 1973 (age 51); London, England
Alma mater	Northern Illinois University
Occupation	Civil rights activist
Parents	Michael Aris (father); Aung San Suu Kyi (mother);
Relatives	Aung San (grandfather) ; Khin Kyi (grandmother)

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Alexander Myint San Aung Aris (Burmese: မြင့်ဆန်းအောင်, pronounced [mjɪ̰ɰ̃ sʰáɰ̃ àʊɰ̃]; born 12 April 1973) is the elder son of Aung San Suu Kyi and Michael Aris. He is also a grandson of Aung San, who is credited with achieving the independence of Myanmar (although he was assassinated in 1947, six months before the independence). He has been representing his mother, who has been detained by the military junta for years; he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for her, and on many other awards and occasions, he has represented her.^[1]^[2]

Early life

Aris was born on 12 April 1973 at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in Hammersmith, London^[3] 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.^[4] 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 private schools in his home city of Oxford: at Dragon School, a co-educational preparatory 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 (military government). The two brothers are British nationals.^[5] In 1988, when Kim Aris was only 11, his mother had to leave their home in Oxford to look after her dying mother in Burma.^[6]

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.^[7] The Nobel Peace Prize's 1.3 million USD prize money was used to establish a health and education trust for the Burmese people.^[8] Over the years, 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;^[9] and accepting the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the US.^[10]

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

References

^ "The Macon Telegraph 11 Dec 1991, page 12". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
^ "York Daily Record 11 Dec 1991, page 4". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
^ Wintle, Justin (2008-03-18). Perfect Hostage: A Life of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's Prisoner of Conscience. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-62636-754-8.
^ Stanford, Peter (22 June 2012). "The pain of Aung Sun Suu Kyi's sons, parted from their mother for 25 years". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 26 May 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
^ "Myanmar back on a roadmap to nowhere". Asia Times Online. 4 December 2007. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ The pain of Aung Sun Suu Kyi’s sons, parted from their mother for 25 years
^ "The News and Observer 11 Dec 1991, page 18". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
^ Miller, J. E. Who's who in contemporary women's writing. p. 22. Routledge, 2001.
^ "By Aung San Suu Kyi (Statements, Speeches, Writings, Interviews)". Online Burma/Myanmar Library. Archived from the original on 2010-06-01.
^ "Clinton honours Burma's Suu Kyi". BBC News. BBC. 7 December 2000. Archived from the original on 22 June 2009.

External links

Alexander's Acceptance Speech of the Nobel Prize

[1] "The Macon Telegraph 11 Dec 1991, page 12". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-12-06.

[2] "York Daily Record 11 Dec 1991, page 4". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-12-06.

[3] Wintle, Justin (2008-03-18). Perfect Hostage: A Life of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's Prisoner of Conscience. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-62636-754-8.

[4] Stanford, Peter (22 June 2012). "The pain of Aung Sun Suu Kyi's sons, parted from their mother for 25 years". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 26 May 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2014.

[5] "Myanmar back on a roadmap to nowhere". Asia Times Online. 4 December 2007. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

[6] The pain of Aung Sun Suu Kyi’s sons, parted from their mother for 25 years

[7] "The News and Observer 11 Dec 1991, page 18". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-12-06.

[8] Miller, J. E. Who's who in contemporary women's writing. p. 22. Routledge, 2001.

[9] "By Aung San Suu Kyi (Statements, Speeches, Writings, Interviews)". Online Burma/Myanmar Library. Archived from the original on 2010-06-01.

[10] "Clinton honours Burma's Suu Kyi". BBC News. BBC. 7 December 2000. Archived from the original on 22 June 2009.

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