By IANS,
Yangon : Myanmar’s opposition leader and parliamentarian Aung San Suu Kyi Sunday left Yangon for Washington on her first visit to the US in 24 years.
Suu Kyi, on a 20-day trip, was invited by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Xinhua reported. She earlier visited Thailand in May and Europe in June.
During her visit, Suu Kyi will receive the US Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honour, as well as the Global Citizen Award presented by the Atlantic Council based in New York, according to her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD).
She will also meet US-based Myanmar citizens.
In May, Suu Kyi paid her first visit to Thailand in 24 years and attended the World Economic Forum. In June, she paid a 17-day historic visit to five European countries — Switzerland, Norway, Britain, Ireland and France.
The Myanmarese leader collected in Oslo her Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded in 1991.
In Dublin, she picked the “Ambassador of Conscience” prize awarded by Amnesty International. She also received an honorary doctorate from the Oxford University and an honorary citizenship from Paris.
The NLD party overwhelmingly won the April 1 bye-elections, taking 43 out of 45 open parliament seats, of which 37 were from the lower house.
Suu Kyi herself won a seat from Yangon’s Kawhmu constituency.
In August, she was named chairperson of a 15-member Committee for Rule of Law and Tranquillity of the Lower House.