OTTAWA - MPs have unanimously passed a motion to grant honorary Canadian citizenship to imprisoned Burmese democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi.
The move came Wednesday in response to Myanmar's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper introduced the motion, calling Nobel laureate Suu Kyi the living embodiment of the long struggle for freedom and democracy in her country.
The junta that rules the country formerly known as Burma has confined Suu Kyi to her home under house arrest for years in response to her pro-democracy efforts.
Protests in the country have left at least 13 people dead, including a Japanese cameraman whose shooting death at point-blank range by a soldier was beamed around the world.
The protests were launched by pro-democracy monks calling on the government to end their repression and hold talks with Suu Kyi.
State-controlled media reported Tuesday that the generals who run Myanmar are still holding 500 demonstrators in prison.
The junta has poured scorn on a recent United Nations Security Council statement condemning violence used by the army to crush the anti-government protests.
Suu Kyi is not the first foreigner given honorary citizenship in Canada. Nelson Mandela was given similar recognition by the government of former prime minister Jean Chretien.
