President Thein Sein of Myanmar addresses the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012.UNITED NATIONS – Myanmar’s president Thursday said his country has taken irreversible steps toward democracy as he paid unprecedented public tribute to opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, describing her as crucial to political reforms.
President Thein Sein told the U.N. General Assembly that the country also known as Burma is leaving behind five decades of authoritarian rule.
It was a speech that reflected the momentous changes in Myanmar over the past year, as Suu Kyi has been elected to parliament after 15 years of house arrest, and the country has shed its pariah status.
For the first time, Myanmar’s speech to the U.N.’s annual gathering of world leaders was broadcast live on state television at home. Never before had such a speech even mentioned the opposition leader, whose peaceful struggle against military rule won international admiration but only the ire of the former junta.
While former general Thein Sein has orchestrated Myanmar’s political opening, he has not publicly praised Suu Kyi before, nor referred to her as “Nobel laureate” as he did Thursday.