Aung San Suu Kyi arrives in Thailand

Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi arrived in Thailand Tuesday for her first trip abroad in more than two decades.

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Aung San Suu Kyi leaves Suvarnabhumi airport immigration to head to downtown Bangkok after her arrival on her first trip outside Myanmar in 24 years. REUTERS

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The Lady makes an entrance

Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi arrived in Thailand Tuesday for her first trip abroad in more than two decades, ending an era of isolation and cementing her arrival on the global stage.

The former political prisoner, who won a seat in parliament in historic April by-elections, is expected to meet the Thai prime minister, attend the World Economic Forum on East Asia and meet Myanmar communities during several days in the country.

Suu Kyi, who last left the nation in 1988 when it was still under outright military rule, landed in the Thai capital around 10:00 pm (1500 GMT) after the short flight from Yangon.

She was greeted at the airport by journalists and around two dozen of her compatriots who chanted "Mother Suu", eliciting smiles and a wave from the democracy champion, before she was whisked away by car.

Mrs Suu Kyi at the Yangon airport just before she left Myanmar. AFP

Speaking before her departure from Yangon, Suu Kyi said she planned to stay in Thailand "for four or five days" adding she would visit "one refugee camp" without providing further details.

Suu Kyi, who spent 15 of the past 22 years under house arrest, will emerge into a world transformed – the skyscrapers and frenetic activity of Bangkok presenting a stark contrast to her home city of Yangon, with its crumbling architecture and frequent power outages.

The Nobel laureate's first trip outside Myanmar since 1988 comes as dramatic changes sweep the country, after decades of outright military rule ended last year.

Suu Kyi, fearful that she would never be allowed to return, had refused to travel abroad in the past, even when the former junta denied her dying husband a visa to visit her from Britain.

The 66-year-old icon will meet Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra during her trip, but the timing has yet to be confirmed, the premier's secretary general Thawat Boonfeung said.

Suu Kyi is also set to visit Myanmar migrant workers in Samut Sakhon province, south of Bangkok, on Wednesday, according to local activists.

Thailand's workforce is heavily reliant on low-cost foreign workers, both legal and trafficked, with Myanmar nationals accounting for around 80 percent of the two million registered foreign workers in the kingdom.

Suu Kyi is then expected to travel to the north of the country to meet some of the roughly 100,000 refugees displaced by conflict in Myanmar's eastern border areas.

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immigration – dealing with people entering and leaving the country การตรวจคนเข้าเมือง
icon – someone who is very famous and who people think represents a particular idea  ดาราหรือบุคคลผู้มีชื่อเสียงที่เป็นตัวแทนของสิ่งใดสิ่งหนึ่ง
decade – a period of ten years  ทศวรรษ
era – a period of time that has a particular quality or character ยุค, สมัย
isolation – set apart from; disconnected from แยกออกมา ตั้งอยู่เดี่ยวๆ
cement – to make something stronger or more certain ทำให้ยึดแน่น
the global stage – receiving attention from around the world and having an important role in some way
historic – of historical importance ที่สำคัญในประวัติศาสตร์
by-election – an election held to fill an empty seat in parliament  การเลือกตั้งซ่อม
forum – a place where people can express their ideas and opinions การประชุมแสดงความคิดเห็น
community – a group of people who share the same  job, interests, religion, etc สังคม
outright – clear and direct, with nothing hidden โดยสมบูรณ์, โดยทั้งหมด, ตรงไปตรงมา
rule – control over the government of a country การปกครอง
journalist – a person who writes news stories or articles for a newspaper or magazine or broadcasts them on radio or television ผู้สื่อข่าว
compatriots – people who are from the same country as you are คนชาติเดียวกัน
chant – to keep shouting or singing a word or phrase many times โห่ร้อง, โห่ร้องต้อนรับ, ร้องเพลง
elicit – to get information or a reaction from somebody, often with difficulty นำออกมา เอาออกมา
champion – a person to publicly support or defend a set of beliefs, political aims, or a group of people ผู้ปกป้อง, ผู้สนับสนุน (เพื่อปกป้อง)
whisk – to move someone or something very quickly – พาออกไปอย่างรวดเร็ว
departure – leaving การออกจาก
refugee – someone who leaves their country or living place, especially during a war or other threatening event ผู้ลี้ภัย
provide – to give someone something that they want or need จัดหาให้,  จัดเตรียมไว้ให้
detail – the small facts or features of something ส่วนเล็กๆ น้อยๆ, รายละเอียด, ส่วนย่อย
house arrest – legally forced to stay in your house as if it were a prison การกักกันผู้ต้องหาไว้ในที่อยู่ของเขา
emerge – to appeared ปรากฏออกมา
transform – to change from one form into another  เปลี่ยนไปสู่อีกสิ่งหนึ่ง
skyscraper – a very tall building containing offices or flats ตึกสูงมาก
frenetic – involving a lot of energy and activity in a way that is not organised บ้าคลั่ง, บ้าระห่ำ
stark – clear, often in an unpleasant or frightening way ทนโท่ ชัดเจน
contrast – a noticeable difference ความแตกต่าง
crumbling – falling apart; breaking into small pieces แตกละเอียด
outage – power cut ช่วงเวลาที่ไม่มีกระแสไฟฟ้า
laureate – someone who has won a prize for their achievements, especially a nobel prize  ผู้ได้รับเกียรติยศ,ผู้ได้รับรางวัลเป็นเกียรติยศ
dramatic – exciting and impressive ตื่นเต้นเร้าใจ
sweep – to move or spread quickly through an area; to move something or someone with powerful force  เคลื่อนไปอย่างรวดเร็ว, พัดพาเอาไป
refuse – to say you will not do something that someone has asked you to do ปฏิเสธ
abroad – in or to a foreign country  ในต่างประเทศ
junta – a group of military officers that governs a country, usually without having been elected รัฐบาลทหาร
deny – to not allow someone to have or do something ไม่ยอมรับ, ปฏิเสธ
set to – ready to do something พร้อม
migrant worker – someone who travels to another place or country in order to find work คนงานต่างถิ่น
local – in or related to the area that you live, or to the particular area that you are talking about  ท้องถิ่น
activist – someone who takes part in activities that are intended to achieve political or social change, especially someone who is a member of an organisation นักกิจกรรม
reliant – needing somebody/something in order to survive, be successful, etc. ต้องอาศัย, ต้องพึ่งพา, ขึ้นอยู่กับ
legal – allowed by the law ถูกต้องตามกฎหมาย
traffick – to dealing in illegal goods, like drugs, weapons or in illegally moving humans from one place to another ค้าสิ่งที่ผิดกฎหมาย
account for – to be a particular amount or part of something
register – to put your name and other information on an official list in order to be allowed to do something, e.g., vote, study, stay in a hotel etc ลงทะเบียน
roughly – approximately but not exactly  โดยประมาณ, อย่างคร่าวๆ
displaced – (of people) forced to leave their home, especially because of war or a natural disaster ซึ่งออกจากที่อยู่ไป, ซึ่งย้ายที่
conflict – angry disagreement between people or groups การต่อสู้, ความขัดแย้ง
border – the official line separating two areas, regions or countries  เขตแดน อาณาเขต