Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi kicks off by-election campaign

Feb 11, 2012, 2:17 GMT

Yangon - Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi on Saturday launched her campaign for a seat in the April 1 by-election that is seen as a litmus test for the new government's reforms.

Suu Kyi, 66, with roses in her hair and wearing a traditional white long shirt of the Karen ethnic minority group, kicked off her campaign in Wha Thin Kha village of Kawhmu township, 30 kilometres south of Yangon, where she is contesting one of 48 seats left vacant when the cabinet took office in March.

'I've learned that there are many unemployed people living here, including graduates, so we need to create more job opportunities,' she told a crowd of thousands.

'If we want to serve the people we will need to work hard and we will have to overcome our difficulties with unity among the people,' Suu Kyi said, drawing cheers.

Strife between Myanmar's many ethnic minorities is one of the country's most difficult future challenges, after more than six decades of insurgencies challenging successive governments.

Although Suu Kyi's family home is in Yangon, the former capital, she has registered as a resident of a house in Wha Thin Kha in order to qualify as a candidate in the district.

Her adopted family in the village is of the Karen ethnic minority group, the second largest after the Burmans in Myanmar's racially diverse population of about 60 million.

This is the first election that the Nobel peace laureate is contesting in Myanmar. Suu Kyi was under house arrest during the 1990 election, which her National League for Democracy (NLD) party won by a landslide.

At the time of the November 7, 2010, general election, Suu Kyi was under house arrest, although she was released a week later.

The fact that the current government has allowed Suu Kyi to contest is seen as a major advance for Myanmar's steps towards a more democratic system after five decades of military dictatorships.

'The coming by-election is a key test how far the government has progressed in the process of reform,' said United Nations special envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana last week after a six-day visit.

President Thein Sein is thought to be eager to have Suu Kyi win a seat and become a member of parliament, to encourage Western governments to drop economic sanctions, observers said.

With little opposition from the regime, the NLD is expected to do well, given the popularity of Suu Kyi.

'We will win the majority of the 48 seats,' NLD spokesman Nyan Win predicted.