US Department of State
Office of the Spokesman
Statement by Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright
March 27, 1999
I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to the family of Dr. Michael Aris, who passed away today in England. Dr. Aris was the husband of Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi. A noted scholar, Dr. Aris had sacrificed the companionship of his beloved wife for 10 years so that she could stand with her people in Burma to struggle for human rights and democracy. Her two courageous sons, Alexander and Kim, have also been separated from their mother and have our special sympathy.
Dr. Aris' fatal illness became known over two months ago. Since then, he tried without success to obtain permission from Burma's military government to visit his wife one last time. We and countless others in the international community had made direct appeals to those authorities to grant his request on humanitarian grounds. We deeply regret that the Burmese authorities disregarded those international appeals. The authorities callous disregard of the most basic humanitarian principles in emblematic of the continuing repression in Burma, and brings dishonor upon the authorities. The honor exemplified by Dr. Aris in his life stands out all the more dramatically.