Myanmar's Suu Kyi calls on supporters to vote for 'real change'

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Myanmar's Suu Kyi calls on supporters to vote for 'real change'

BAWLAKHE, MYANMAR | BY HNIN YADANA ZAW

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Thursday urged voters to opt for "real change" in the first general election since the end of military rule.

Thousands of supporters gave Suu Kyi a rapturous welcome in towns in the sparsely populated state of Kayah on the Thai border.

Bawlakhe, where Suu Kyi made a speech and was staying the night, is where Soe Thein, the powerful minister of the president's office and architect of President Thein Sein's economic reforms, is running for a seat.

"We want to form the government for real change," said Suu Kyi earlier in the day in the town of Demoso, as red-clad supporters cheered in front of a stage decked with the flags of her party, the National League for Democracy.

"The coming election is our chance to change the system and go for democracy. People should not miss the chance," she added, declaring the NLD's ambition to win all contested seats.

The NLD is expected to be victorious in the Nov. 8 vote, which marks a major shift in Myanmar's political landscape, giving a platform to democratic activists shut out of public life during nearly half a century of strict military rule that ended in 2011.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/10/us-myanmar-elections-idUSKCN0RA0D820150910

-- Reuters 2015-09-11

[Emster23]

Like giving Muslims citizenship and right to vote?..... nah..... Sorry dear, you used to be something of a hero to me, but treatment of Muslims would even make Trump blush.