Canada to Give Honorary Citizenship to Aung San Suu Kyi

Canada plans to give an honorary citizenship to the Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, only the fourth person in the country’s history to be bestowed with the honor after South Africa’s Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet.

The announcement on Tuesday was made by the Canadian Governor-General, Michaelle Jean, in an address to the parliament.

“Our government will immediately call upon parliament to confer honorary citizenship on Aung San Suu Kyi,” Jean said.

“Her (Aung San Suu Kyi) long struggle to bring freedom and democracy to the people of Burma has made her the embodiment of these ideals and an inspiration to all of us,” she said.

Welcoming the announcement, Canadian Friends of Burma executive director Tin Maung Htoo said in a media release: “Now the government appears to put more emphasis on Burma, given the appalling situation in Burma. We expect Burma will now become a priority of Canadian foreign policy."

The Canadian Friends of Burma lunched a nomination letter on its Web site a few months ago and received support from thousands of Canadians.

"We also urge the government to implement the 'Burma Motion' passed in the House of Commons in May, 2005, in order to show concrete support on Burma and toughen its stance on the repressive Burmese military junta," Tin added.