Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi to visit Singapore

Aung San Suu Kyi, chairperson of Myanmar's National League for Democracy, is expected to make a visit to Singapore in September, according to the latest program of the Singapore Summit, an event organized by Singapore's government agencies. Suu Kyi, a democracy icon, will deliver a speech "Myanmar in Transition" on Sept. 21, at the second Singapore Summit, an invitation-only event. The meeting is organized by the Global-Asia Program Office, an inter-agency initiative, co-led by the Singapore Economic Development Board and the Monetary Authority of Singapore in collaboration with a number of other agencies and organizations. One of the objectives of Suu Kyi's visit to Singapore will be to draw lessons from the growth story of the city state, as Myanmar is in the midst of political transition and national development, local broadcaster Channel NewsAsia said. Suu Kyi is also expected to reiterate her consistent political message that economic and political transitions must be complementary. She has visited countries like the United States, France and Britain after her release from house arrest in 2010. This will be her first visit to Singapore and her second visit to an ASEAN neighbor. Suu Kyi visited Thailand in 2012. The Myanmar Club is organizing an event to cater to at least 3, 000 Myanmar nationals to see and interact with Suu Kyi, too. "Quite a lot of us are delighted that she's coming to here. We are expecting her plans for the country and the Myanmar people who stay abroad," said Shwe Nyan Win, a patron of the club.