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| The Lady, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (AFP) |
Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has finally received in person the US Congressional Gold Medal she was awarded under house arrest in 2008.
Aung San Suu Kyi described it as "one of the most moving days of my life."
She also met President Obama at the White House, shortly after the US Treasury said it had lifted sanctions on Burma's President Thein Sein.
Sanctions on Burma have been loosened since the new government began enacting democratic reforms in 2011.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former first lady Laura Bush were present at the medal ceremony, in the Capitol Rotunda, in Washington.
"The ties of friendship and understanding that have developed between you and lovers of democracy in Burma compensate for much of the trials we had to suffer over the past decades," Aung San Suu Kyi said after receiving the medal.
She said that, despite its inherent imperfections, democracy remained a "beacon of hope for all of us" and reminded the audience that there were many, in Burma and beyond, for whom freedom was "just a dream."
"There will be difficulties in the way ahead, but I'm confident that we shall be able to overcome all obstacles with the help and support of our friends," she added.
Aung San Suu Kyi herself was released from house arrest in 2010.
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Tragically there is also silence about other ethnic minorities, such as the Karen and Rakhine, particularly along the border with Thailand. If only there were a website showing the Buddhist beauty and military horror of Burma. Wait. There's The Irrawaddy Magazine. There's USCampaignforBurma.org. There's the BurmaCampaign.org.uk. There's BurmaDigest.org. And the BBC does a decent job of covering the region. News on the Rohingya can be found in the Bangladeshi press.
