In Sydney, Aung San Suu Kyi discusses democracy struggles

SYDNEY, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi spoke of her struggles in Myanmar to an audience Wednesday in Sydney, the first stop of her visit to Australia.

Speaking at the Sydney Opera House, Suu Kyi discussed her commitment to democracy and human rights, as well as the need for constitutional reform in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

She called her country's Constitution "the most rigid to [be] found anywhere in the world."

"We cannot have genuine democracy under [the] current Constitution. If Burma is truly to be on the road to democracy, we have to amend this Constitution," Suu Kyi said. "The military must support any amendment in order for it to go through."

She said the commander in chief decides whether the Constitution can be amended and questioned how it could be considered democratic "when it can be amended or not amended in accordance with one man in an unelected post."

Suu Kyi, who spent 15 years under house arrest before her release in 2010, has said she wants to run for Myanmar's presidency in 2015. However, she said fundamental changes would have to be enacted for her to be eligible for the post, the ABC said.

"The Constitution is written specifically to prevent me from being president," Suu Kyi said. "I object to this because no constitution should be written with one person in mind. That's not democratic."

While in Australia, Suu Kyi will also visit Canberra and Melbourne.