Suu Kyi resumes European tour after ill spell

Jun 15, 2012 |

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Aung San Suu Kyi

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Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi resumed her European tour on Friday, after a brief bout of illness prompted by exhaustion forced her to cancel a gala dinner the night before.

The Nobel peace laureate visited the Swiss parliament and met government officials in the capital Bern, where enthusiastic crowds greeted her with cheers and bouquets of flowers.

Arriving at the Swiss parliament, Suu Kyi crossed the road to meet supporters of the human rights group Amnesty International waving banners reading 'Thank you for your commitment' and 'Go ahead for human rights.'

"We have been with you and we keep on being with you," said one supporter, to which she replied: "Thank you very much"

Suu Kyi received a standing ovation from lawmakers as she entered Parliament to witness a debate, mirroring the enthusiastic reception that greeted her at the United Nations in Geneva on Thursday.

The icon of Myanmar's democracy movement was released from junta-imposed house arrest in November 2010. In April she won a seat in the country's national assembly.

The 66-year-old is visiting Switzerland, Norway, Britain, Ireland and France during her two-week visit, the first in 24 years.

Her hectic schedule has concerned her physicians, who say Suu Kyi has no major health problems but has low blood pressure and gets motion sickness easily.

From Switzerland, Suu Kyi flies to Oslo, where on Saturday she will make a belated acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded to her 21 years earlier while she was detained by the military after leading a pro-democracy party to victory in Myanmar's 1990 elections.

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