Suu Kyi: Avoid 'Reckless Optimism'

Reflects on leaving Burma for first time in 24 years
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 1, 2012 5:48 AM CDT
Suu Kyi: Avoid 'Reckless Optimism'
Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi delivers a speech at the World Economic Forum on East Asia in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, June 1, 2012.   (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

There's hope for Burma, but it should be tempered with caution, said Aung San Suu Kyi during her first trip outside the country in 24 years. Speaking to the World Economic Forum in Bangkok, she called the optimism surrounding the recent changes seen in Burma "good," but warned that "it should be cautious optimism. I have come across reckless optimism. A little bit of healthy skepticism is in order." Investors in Burma, for instance, should ensure their money is working for the greater good. "We do not want investment to mean more possibilities for corruption," she noted.

The opposition leader discussed her country's needs moving forward, calling for improved education and a "clean and independent judicial system," CNN reports. She also reflected on her first moments outside Burma in decades, saying she was "completely fascinated" by Bangkok's lights as her plane landed—a strong contrast to electricity cuts over "the last month or so" in Burma. Seeing Bangkok, "I have to say very frankly that what went through my mind is that 'we need an energy policy,'" she said, to laughs and applause. (More Aung San Suu Kyi stories.)

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