After 21 years, Aung San Suu Kyi to deliver Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech/ENG

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By Tendar Tsering

DHARAMSHALA, June 15: Twenty one years after winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Burmese pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi will be delivering her acceptance speech in Oslo tomorrow.

The Burmese opposition leader, who is currently on a European tour, was awarded the honour in 1991. Her son Alexander had received the Prize on her behalf.

The 66-year-old iconic leader was detained by the Burmese military Junta after she led her pro-democracy party to victory in 1990. She spent much of the past 24 years under house arrest and was freed in late 2010.

She won a seat in Burma's parliament in a by-election two months ago.

Suu Kyi kicked off her 17-day five-country tour in Switzerland on Thursday, welcoming the international community's efforts to strengthen reform in her homeland.

The Burmese leader addressed the International Labour Conference of the ILO at the Palais de Nations in Geneva, and acknowledged the ILO for deciding to lift restrictions imposed on Myanmar since 1999, and readmitting the country into its fold.

In her sppech, she urged foreign governments not to let their companies form joint ventures with Myanmar's state-owned oil and gas company until it improved its business practices

On the reported contract signed by Myanmar with China on laying an oil pipeline, she said: "There is lack of transparency in the country, we don't know about the contract about oil with Chinese. We don't know the terms. Lack of transparency leads to all kinds of suspicion that sow trouble for the future.”

After delivering her Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech Saturday, the democracy icon is scheduled to visit Britain, Ireland and France.

Aung San Suu Kyi will address both houses of Britain’s parliament, receive an honorary doctorate from Oxford, her former university, and collect the "ambassador of conscience" award, Amnesty International's most prestigious honour from U2 frontman Bono in Dublin.

Interestingly her fellow Nobel Peace laureate and Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama is also currently in Europe-visiting England, Scotland and Italy.

Her decision to travel is seen as a sign of confidence in the government of President Thein Sein, who has pursued a course of reform since coming to power last year, in Burma's first elections in 20 years.

Aung San Suu Kyi is the daughter of Burmese independence leader Aung San, who was assassinated in 1947.