Suu Kyi to visit Britain, address parliament

Yangon, May 21 (IANS) In a historic first trip outside the country in 24 years, Myanmar's pro-democracy leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi will visit Britain and address both the houses of parliament next month.

British Prime Minister David Cameron invited the Nobel Peace Prize winner to come to Britain when he visited her in Myanmar in April, mizzima.com reported. Suu Kyi has been given the rare honour of addressing parliament, even though she is not a head of state.

She is scheduled to begin her week-long trip to Britain June 18. She is also expected to visit Norway too.

Suu Kyi lived for many years in Britain with her now deceased husband and their two sons, until returning to her homeland in 1988, when she was required to turn in her passport.

She has not travelled outside Myanmar since then, fearing the military junta that held on to power until 2011 would not permit her to return.

Her trip to Europe follows months of dramatic change in Myanmar, including a historic election in April that won her a seat in parliament.