Suu Kyi cancels election travel
March 25, 2012
Suu Kyi, who is vying to enter Myanmar's parliament for the first time after decades of opposition to the former military junta and now the nominally civilian government, has been campaigning since mid-February with her National League for Democracy (NLD) party.
The 66 year old was acting on the advice of her doctor, Tin Myo Win, after falling ill in the town of Myeik in the far south of Myanmar.
Suu Kyi on Sunday complained that local authorities in Myeik, which is some 880 kilometers south of Yangon, had refused to provide her with a boat during her campaigning in the remote area.
The upcoming by-elections are seen as a key test for the reclusive nation, which has vowed to move towards a more democratic model after decades of military rule.
The NLD won a 1990 general election but were refused power by the military junta that then ruled Myanmar. Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest ahead of the polls and the party underwent a lengthy period of repression.
The NLD boycotted general elections in 2010 because it felt rules were unfair.
The current civilian government won those polls and has since taken meaningful steps toward democratizing the country, reengaging with the international community and freeing political prisoners and prisoners of conscience.
dfm/tm (AFP, dpa)