Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was freed yesterday from 19 months of house arrest in Myanmar and told hundreds of rapturous supporters that she would carry on her fight to bring democracy to the military-ruled country.
Calm and composed, her hair tied back with flowers, Suu Kyi arrived at the ramshackle Yangon headquarters of her National League for Democracy (NLD) to cheers and roars of "Long live Aung San Suu Kyi" from a large crowd that had massed to greet her in the most overt display of political activism in years.
The 56-year-old Suu Kyi told a news conference that although her party had not changed its stance on opposing foreign investment, aid and tourism while the military government remained in place, the junta had placed no restrictions on her.
Analysts say the dismal state of the economy is the main factor pushing the junta toward political change, but the government insisted the move was sincere.
Razali Ismail, the UN special envoy to Myanmar who has been negotiating Suu Kyi's release, welcomed the development and said elections could be held within two to three years.
In a statement, the military said it had begun "a new page for the people of Myanmar and the international community."
But Suu Kyi said while she was pleased the junta was proclaiming a new dawn, she wanted to see real political change.
"We only hope the dawn will move forward very quickly into full morning," she said.
Risking the ire of the regime -- which has often broken up pro-democracy protests with arrests and even bullets -- hundreds of people thronged the tree-shaded street outside the NLD headquarters to catch a glimpse of Suu Kyi.
Monks in crimson robes and shaven-headed nuns carrying paper umbrellas to shade them from the tropical sun were among the crowd. Cheers erupted when Suu Kyi arrived.
The junta has been holding secretive talks with Suu Kyi since October 2000 in a bid to break the political stalemate that has gripped the country for more than a decade and secure the lifting of international sanctions that have pushed the tottering economy to the brink of collapse.
Suu Kyi said the talks -- which have so far centered on "confidence-building" -- now had to start tackling substantive issues and mapping out a framework for political change.
"Both sides agree that the phase of confidence building is over," she said. "We look forward to moving across to a more significant phase."
Suu Kyi became the figurehead of Myanmar's pro-democracy movement in 1988 when the military -- which has ruled the country for four decades -- bloodily suppressed anti-government protests.
The NLD won a landslide victory in elections in 1990, stunning the military which refused to hand over power. Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest from 1989 to 1995.
Following her release then, her house on University Avenue became a rallying point for opposition to the junta. Thousands gathered outside to see her speak each week.
The government put her back under house arrest in September 2000 after she defied orders not to leave Yangon.
Suu Kyi said she had agreed with the government that the road to her house should remain closed. "It just means I get a good rest," she said. But she added that she was free to travel anywhere within the country to meet party members.
"There are no restrictions on my movement," she said. "I can go anywhere I like."
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