Aung San Suu Kyi asks journalists to stop acting so crazy when they cover her appearances

Members of the media assigned to cover an Aung San Suu Kyi appearance know it is going to be a nightmare. There is pushing and shoving and shouting.
 
But guess who also doesn’t like it?
 
Aung San Suu Kyi.
 
The pro-democracy champion held an off the record meeting with a select number of local reporters yesterday to ask them about changing the way they cover her appearances, the Myanmar Times reported.
 
The meeting was supposedly prompted by the scrum that ensued in Kawhmu on Sunday as Suu Kyi kicked off a daylong beautification campaign by picking up trash in her constituency. During the event she ignored questions and commanded reporters and photographers to pitch in.
 
Those in attendance at the meeting yesterday were asked not to record the chat or take photos. But some spoke to the Times without attribution.
 
“She sounded as if she doesn’t like lots of photographers pushing and jostling to get pictures of her,” one of the five reporters invited to the meeting said. “She said she wanted ‘systematic’ media coverage, and wanted to know the international practice, and what would be better for both sides.”
 
“She said she could not do other things because the press were jostling to photograph her, which she said could be dangerous for all,” one of the reporters present said, alluding to the bizarre proceedings in Kawhmu, during which Suu Kyi randomly picked up trash for about 20 minutes then left.
 
Her original plan was to make a speech. That didn’t happen.
 
Can you blame her? It is a little insane at these appearances, as this drone footage of her voting on November 8 shows. Most of the pushing and bumping comes from photographers who are taking almost the exact same picture. What’s the point? This is why the media invented pool coverage.
 
But on the other hand, she is Aung San Suu Kyi, and the media interest will always be incredibly high.
 
As the Times report states, the reporters explained in the meeting that she’s a world-famous leader and “everybody wanted to know what she was doing.”
 
That’s not going to change any time soon.