The Lady comes back

The image of one woman is everywhere to be seen in the Myanmar media today. "The Lady is good for business," says a senior editor at a weekly journal in Yangon, which has benefitted from relaxation on media controls in recent months. One year after being released from almost two decades of detention and house arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi has decided to run for parliament.

Last Friday, Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) announced it would take part in the by-elections for 48 seats in parliament. A year ago, it had boycotted the elections because of a law that prevented Suu Kyi from running. The law has since been scrapped.

"Aung San Suu Kyi intends to stand for the by-election but it's a bit early to say from which constituency she will run," Nyan Win, a member of the NLD's executive committee, told the media on Monday.

Last week, Suu Kyi had hinted she would run saying that "if one is engaged in politics, one has to do what is necessary. If I feel that I should take part in elections, I will participate."

Young people and ethnic minorities

However, the elections will not only be an important test of Aung San Suu Kyi's popularity and that of her party but it will also provide a chance for younger or different faces to join politics.

"Above all we want to nominate young people and representatives of ethnic minorities in Burma," said Nyan Win. "And we will also invite political activists who are not in the party."

Aung Naing Oo, a Myanmar expert with the Thailand-based Vahu development institute, told Reuters that Aung San Suu Kyi's decision would mark the beginning of an "irreversible democratic transition."

"She has realized that she needs to work with the government to move the country forward and she'll be in a position to say and do a lot more. She can make a big difference," he said.

Fast developments

The developments come shortly after US President Barack Obama, on a visit to Asia, said that more had to be done to address the human rights situation in Myanmar and announced that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would visit the isolated state next week.

Last week, the Association of Southeast Asian States agreed that Myanmar would chair the 10-member regional grouping in 2014, giving some legitimacy to the government, which it said had made progress toward reform.

But on Monday, a Myanmar resolution passed by the UN General Assembly said there were still "systematic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms," while at the same time welcoming the release of some political prisoners and the talks between Aung San Suu Kyi and the government.

It also raised concern about the treatment of ethnic minorities. On Tuesday, Myanmar's government said in a report that it had launched peace talks with four ethnic minority rebel groups. Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to play an important role in the negotiating process.

Author: Udo Schmidt / act
Editor: Shamil Shams