Nobel Laureate Freed In Myanmar

Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was freed on Monday from 19 months of house arrest in Myanmar. She told hundreds of rapturous supporters 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 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.

Secretary of State Colin Powell joined a chorus of cautious praise for her release.

"I'm very pleased that she has been released and allowed to participate in political life once again," said Powell.

"I thought that was very positive, a good development," added President Bush, during a trip to Southfield, Mich., Monday.

"We are incredibly happy over the news," Olav Njolstad, acting director of the Nobel Institute, said. "We're hoping that the regime in Myanmar is ready for wider democratization."

Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her peaceful pursuit of human rights and democracy.

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.

The opposition leader's release has been one of the main demands of the West, which has placed severe economic sanctions on the impoverished country to force political reform.

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. In a statement, the military said it had begun "a new page for the people of Myanmar and the international community."

"We shall recommit ourselves to allowing all of our citizens to participate freely in the life of our political process while giving priority to national unity, peace and the stability of the country as well as the region," the statement said.

Razali Ismail, the United Nations special envoy to Myanmar who has been negotiating Suu Kyi's release, welcomed the development and said elections could be held within 2-3 years.

Suu Kyi said while she was pleased the junta was proclaiming a new dawn, she wanted to see real political change.

"It's a new dawn for the country," she said. "We only hope the dawn will move forward very quickly into full morning."

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 National League for Democracy headquarters to catch a glimpse.

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 in 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.

International sanctions are her most powerful bargaining chip in talks with the ruling generals — many Western countries would resume investment and aid if Suu Kyi said she supported such a move.

Suu Kyi said she wanted to see more political prisoners released as soon as possible.