Suu Kyi gets ovation at first international speech

Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi basked in a long-overdue standing ovation at her first speech before an international audience Friday, but quickly shifted the focus from herself to Myanmar's many needs  and how the world can help.                

Despite recently emerging from 24 years of isolation, the former political prisoner appeared completely at ease speaking to the World Economic Forum in Bangkok where she urged the international community to exercise "healthy skepticism" toward Myanmar's much-touted reform process.                   

It is not the first time that Suu Kyi has called for caution in the world's approach to Myanmar  but it is the first time she has uttered the sentiment on foreign soil since becoming her country's democracy crusader in 1988. The speech was broadcast live across several time zones.                

Next month, the 66-year-old Suu Kyi will see how much Europe has changed, too, with visits to five countries including England and Norway, where she will formally accept her Nobel Peace Prize, 21 years after winning it.               

Suu Kyi spent 15 out of 22 years locked under house arrest by the former military regime, during which time she occasionally spoke to the outside world through audio and video messages. She was granted freedom after Myanmar held elections in 2010 and was elected to Parliament in April. She kicked off her international tour this week.                

The mission of her travels is to discuss how the world can help "that little piece of the world that some of us call Burma and some of us call Myanmar," she said.   
AP