Aung San Suu Kyi could “soon” campaign outside Yangon

After eight years, Myanmar’s opposition leader will be able to travel around Yangon province to promote her campaign in favour of democracy and human rights. The Nobel Prize winner hopes to see the United States renew its sanctions against Myanmar because there has not been "sufficient improvement" in the country.” The government’s recent release of a small number of dissidents is not an amnesty but an act of “clemency”.

Yangon (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Aung San Suu Kyi could soon be travelling to areas outside Yangon to campaign on behalf of her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD). The Nobel Prize laureate made the announcement today during a meeting with reporters. For now, she will limit her movements to areas around the former Burmese capital, and avoid the rest of the country.
Burma’s main opposition leader has spent 15 of the past 21 years under house arrest. The terms of her detention ended in November, a few days after the country’s parliamentary elections.
Right after her release, Ms Suu Kyi stressed her desire to continue her struggle for democracy and human rights in Myanmar. However, she chose not to leave the city fearing possible attacks (see “Junta to jail people who complain about election fraud, warns Aung San Suu Kyi,” in AsiaNews 17 November 2010).  
In the past, Burmese authorities prevented Aung San Suu Kyi from travelling around the country fearing her popularity might spur dissent against its military rulers.
The last legal action taken against the NLD leader came in May 2003, in the wake of an attack against her motorcade in Depayin, northern Burma. She did not suffer any injuries in the incident, but dozens of NLD sympathisers lost their lives.
After a meeting with US diplomat Joseph Yun, Ms Suu Kyi talked about US economic sanctions against Myanmar. She said that she hoped US President Barack Obama would renew them because there has not been "sufficient improvement" in the country.
Commenting on the recent release of about 17,000 prisoners, Suu Kyi said that she would not call it an amnesty, but rather an act of "clemency” (see “Release of 36 Burmese activists a “pathetic response” to demands for democracy,” in AsiaNews 18 May 2011).