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Palme prize for Suu Kyi

Stockholm: Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who has long been under house arrest in Myanmar, has been named winner of the Olof Palme Prize, organisers said on Monday. The award is endowed by the family of the slain Swedish Prime Minister and the governing Social Democratic Party. Ms. Suu Kyi was cited for being ``an outstanding example of the efforts to attain democracy by the people of Myanmar, where respect for human rights, ethnic unity, and a life in peace remain only a dream''. The $50,000 prize is to be presented on Feb 28, the anniversary of the 1986 shooting of Palme as he and his wife walked home unguarded from a movie theatre. The organisers said Ms. Suu Kyi was awarded the prize for her ``unyielding fight for a democratic Myanmar.'' Last year's winners were three Russian human rights advocates. — AP

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