Myanmar's tourism dreams pierced by Rohingya crisis

Yahoo – AFP, Marion THIBAUT, October 29, 2017

In Myanmar, there are fears the Rohingya refugee crisis could throw the country's
fledgling tourism sector back to the dark days under military rule (AFP Photo/Ye Aung THU)

Only a few years ago Beyonce and Jay-Z were posing for photos among Myanmar's famed temples, heralding the former junta-run country's rise as one of the hottest new tourist destinations on the map.

But that dream is cracking as images of burnt villages and Muslim Rohingya fleeing army-led violence in western Rakhine shock the globe, sparking outrage over a staggering scale of human suffering that has festered along the border.

Ever since the bloodshed broke out in late August, tourism operators have witnessed a cascade of cancellations, rippling fear through a nascent industry that was gearing up for its high season in October.

"Almost all the trips scheduled for October and November have been cancelled due to instability in the country, because of the situation in Rakhine state," said Tun Tun Naing from New Fantastic Asia Travels and Tour, an agency that leads trips to the pristine beaches and mist-shrouded lakes that dot the lush country.

"Most groups in Japan, Australia and other Asian countries cited security reasons and some Europeans have clearly said they boycotted because of the humanitarian situation," he told AFP.

In Yangon, a bustling city known for its crumbling colonial architecture, some foreign tourists could still be seen circling the gilded Shwedagon Pagoda that looms over the former capital.

But they admitted that the ongoing crisis is an awkward backdrop for their holiday.

"It's very sad to see what the country is becoming, our guide told us that Muslims were dangerous and that they were not Burmese," said French tourist Christine, who declined to give her surname, of a crisis that has spiked religious tensions in the Buddhist majority country.

Some distinguished guests are also keeping their distance, with Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, and his wife Camilla deciding to skip a stop in the former colony during an autumn tour of Asia.

One step forward, two back?

There are fears the refugee crisis could throw Myanmar's fledgling tourism sector back to the dark days under military rule, when many travellers passed over the pariah state to avoid lining the pockets of generals who brutally suppressed human rights.

All that had started to change after the army initiated a transition to partial democracy in 2011.

The move saw Western sanctions lifted as foreign tourists flocked to landscapes unspoiled by the crowds and travel infrastructure that has mushroomed elsewhere in the region.

The first half of 2017 kicked off well with a 22 percent increase in visitors compared to the previous year, according to figures from the Ministry of Tourism, which hopes to double the number of annual arrivals to 7.5 million by 2020.

But at the end of August, western Rakhine state was in flames.

Raids by mobs of poorly-armed Rohingya militants prompted a military backlash so brutal the UN says it likely amounts to ethnic cleansing of the Muslim minority.

More than half a million Rohingya have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh in two months, carrying testimony of killings, rape and arson at the hands of soldiers and Buddhist mobs.

Their chilling stories, alongside photos of gaunt and weary refugees cramming into Bangladesh's ramshackle refugee camps, have seized headlines around the globe and cast a pall over the young democracy's rise.

A few hours south of the conflict zone in Rakhine state lies Mrauk-U, an ancient capital and hallowed archaeological site.

Two months into the crisis, locals say the site is empty of the tourists normally buzzing around its ruins.

"All people who live on tourism are out of work now," guide Aung Soe Myint told AFP.

Myanmar's tourism dreams crushed by Rohingya crisis https://t.co/D6vgGwq1Xq pic.twitter.com/8vyLTxjRrH

— AFP news agency (@AFP) October 29, 2017

Former President Yudhoyono Praises Humanitarian Aid Sent to Rohingya Refugees

Jakarta Globe, September 24, 2017

Former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. (Photo courtesy of BeritaSatu
News Channel)

Jakarta. Former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono praised Indonesia's dispatch of humanitarian aid to Rohingya refugees initiated by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, saying that the move is "correct" but needs to be followed up with a stronger push to encourage neighboring countries to pay more serious attention to the ongoing crisis in Myanmar's western Rakhine State.

On Sept. 13, Indonesia dispatched its first batch of aid in the form of rice, instant meals, sanitation supplies, tents and water tanks to Rohingya Muslim refugees displaced from their homes in Myanmar and who are now in neighboring Bangladesh.

"What President Jokowi has done was correct […] I have observed this [news] when I was in Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia] and Singapore. It was the right thing to do, it needs to be followed up with further actions, like encouraging Asean and other countries to help Myanmar in tackling the humanitarian crisis," Yudhoyono said last week, referring to the Association of Southeast Nations.

Susilo, commonly known as SBY, gave a special interview with Claudius Boekan, BeritaSatu News editor-in-chief, at the former president's home in Bogor, West Java, last week.

Jokowi's aid mission, dubbed "Civic Mission Indonesia," made national headlines two weeks ago following pressure put on the administration to provide assistance to Rohingya Muslims being driven from Rakhine State by the Myanmar military.

In recent weeks, many Indonesian Muslims have made daily demonstrations in front of the Myanmar Embassy in Central Jakarta to call for an end to the large-scale military operation taking place in Rakhine.

Embassy staff have put up barbed wire fence around the building in recent days, after a petrol bomb thrown at the edifice caused a small fire earlier this month.

Islamist groups in the country also planned to stage a massive protest at Central Java's Borobudur Temple — the largest Buddhist temple in the world — to protest against the Myanmar's treatment of the Rohingya, though that plan was quickly quashed by police.

Jokowi and foreign minister Retno Marsudi earlier went on a diplomatic mission to Myanmar, where Retno met with Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Myanmar has seen mounting pressure to end violence that has sent more than 300,000 Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh, with the United States calling for the protection of civilians and Bangladesh seeking international help to handle the crisis.

Suu Kyi and Myanmar face chorus of anger over Rohingya crisis

Yahoo – AFP, September 4, 2017

Malala Yousafzai said she is waiting for fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung
 San Suu Kyi to condemn the 'tragic and shameful treatment' of the Rohingya
Muslims in Myanmar (AFP Photo/ALFREDO ESTRELLA)

Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai and mainly Muslim countries in Asia led a growing chorus of criticism on Monday aimed at Myanmar and its civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi over the plight of the Rohingya Muslim minority.

Nearly 90,000 Rohingya have flooded into Bangladesh in the past 10 days following an uptick in fighting between militants and Myanmar's military in strife-torn western Rakhine state.

The impoverished region bordering Bangladesh has been a crucible of communal tensions between Muslims and Buddhists for years, with the Rohingya forced to live under apartheid-like restrictions on movement and citizenship.

The recent violence, which began last October when a small Rohingya militant group ambushed border posts, is the worst Rakhine has witnessed in years, with the UN saying Myanmar's army may have committed ethnic cleansing in its response.

Suu Kyi, a former political prisoner of Myanmar's junta, has come under increasing fire over her perceived unwillingness to speak out against the treatment of the Rohingya or chastise the military.

She has made no public comment since the latest fighting broke out on August 25.

Indonesian activists protest in Bandung, West Java about the humanitarian 

crisis in western Myanmar's Rakhine state (AFP Photo/TIMUR MATAHARI)

"Every time I see the news, my heart breaks at the suffering of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar," Pakistani activist Yousafzai, who famously survived being shot in the head by the Taliban, said in a statement on Twitter.

"Over the last several years I have repeatedly condemned this tragic and shameful treatment. I am still waiting for my fellow Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to do the same," she added.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman also questioned Suu Kyi's silence.

"Very frankly, I am dissatisfied with Aung San Suu Kyi," Anifah told AFP.

"(Previously) she stood up for the principles of human rights. Now it seems she is doing nothing."

Muslim neighbours riled

The growing crisis threatens Myanmar's diplomatic relations, particularly with Muslim-majority countries in Southeast Asia such as Malaysia and Indonesia where there is profound public anger over the treatment of the Rohingya.

The Maldives announced on Monday that it was severing all trade ties with the country "until the government of Myanmar takes measures to prevent the atrocities being committed against Rohingya Muslims", the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Updated map of northern Rakhine state showing areas where fires were detected

 from satellite imagery. A total of 87,000 mostly Rohingya refugees have arrived in 

Bangladesh since violence erupted on August 25 in Rakhine. (AFP Photo/Gal ROMA)

Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi met Suu Kyi as well as Myanmar's army chief General Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyidaw on Monday in a bid to pressure the government to do more to alleviate the crisis.

"Once again, violence, this humanitarian crisis has to stop immediately," Indonesian President Joko Widodo told reporters on Sunday as he announced Retno's mission.

Hours before Widodo spoke, a petrol bomb was thrown at Myanmar's embassy in Jakarta while police there have previously thwarted two attempts by Islamist militants to bomb the compound.

Dozens demonstrated in front of the embassy on Monday, where armed police were deployed and the mission cordoned off behind barbed wire.

Pakistan's foreign ministry said it was "deeply concerned over reports of growing number of deaths and forced displacement of Rohingya Muslims" and urged Myanmar to investigate reports of atrocities against the community.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif added in a recent tweet: "Global silence on continuing violence against #Rohingya Muslims. Int’l action crucial to prevent further ethnic cleansing - UN must rally."

Rohingya refugees travel on an open-back truck near the Kutupalong refugee

camp in Ukhiya, Bangladesh (AFP Photo/Jasmin RUMI)

Analysts have long warned that Myanmar's treatment of the Rohingya would lead to homegrown militancy as well as support from international jihadists.

Since the latest fighting broke out, Al-Qaeda's offshoot in Yemen has called for retaliatory attacks against Myanmar while the Afghan Taliban urged Muslims to "use their abilities to help Myanmar's oppressed Muslims".

Thousands gathered in Russia's Chechnya region Monday for an officially staged rally over the plight of the Rohingya.

Defenders of Suu Kyi say she has limited ability to control Myanmar's notoriously abusive military, which under the junta-era constitution is effectively independent of civilian oversight.

The Rohingya are also widely dismissed in Myanmar as Bangladeshi interlopers despite many tracing their lineage back generations, making supporting them hugely unpopular.

But detractors say Suu Kyi is one of the few people with the mass appeal and moral authority to swim against the tide on the issue.

Malala Yousafzai rebukes fellow Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi over Rohingya crisis https://t.co/sCYV5H6821 pic.twitter.com/h6ZPZAU5NV

— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 4, 2017

Aung San Suu Kyi's global image is in tatters over the Rohingya crisis but she's still the star inside Myanmar https://t.co/G7n8xSFhyb pic.twitter.com/n7UjKyFhmS

— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 7, 2017

Indonesian foreign minister: 'Trying to create a culture of tolerance'

Concerns abound in recent times about the threats posed by radicalization and terrorism to Indonesian society. The country's foreign minister spoke to DW about how the government is tackling these issues.

Deutsche Welle, 20 February 2017

DW: There are growing concerns about increasing radicalization in Indonesia. How vulnerable is the country to this threat?

Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi: Let me start by saying that radicalization is not a problem limited to any particular country. The threats of radicalism and terrorism are faced by almost every nation worldwide. We discussed them during the G20 meeting and also ways to improve and coordinate counter-terrorism measures.

Terrorism is one of the most challenging threats to world peace. In 2015, for example, outfits affiliated to IS [the so-called Islamic State terror group] were responsible for carrying out attacks in 28 countries. That figure was twice the number of attacks in 2014. Over the past 16 years, 93 nations have experienced terror attacks, resulting in some 32,000 deaths. I, therefore, would like to stress that no country is immune to terrorism.

What measures are being put in place by Indonesia to deal with these threats?

I think Indonesia is a good example for how to cope with such threats. We have the biggest Muslim population of any other country in the world, and at the same time our community is very heterogeneous. We are therefore trying to create a culture of tolerance.

Since the birth of Indonesia as a country, we Indonesians know we have different ethnicities and multiple religions, but we all want to have one country - Indonesia. So a culture of tolerance is always there. However, as evidenced by almost all countries, Indonesia has also faced radicalization and the threat of terrorism. But Indonesia has so far been able to cope with the situation.

Whereas most countries focus on hard power to counter radicalism and terrorism, Indonesia has laid emphasis on a soft power approach, and it's working very well.

How do you think the fears surrounding radicalism would impact Indonesia's economic development prospects?

I don't think international investors are worried at all about the threat of radicalization in Indonesia, as everybody is aware that this kind of danger exists everywhere. Regarding foreign investment, the president of Indonesia has always stressed his commitment to make the nation's economy more open and competitive. This is reflected in the government's initiatives over the past year, when we introduced 14 economic reform packages. With these measures, we do hope to draw in more foreign investment into our fast-expanding economy.

Again, we are striving to make our economy more open and competitive and this should attract greater foreign investment into the country.

Many are calling on Indonesia to step up its efforts to help tackle the Rohingya crisis. How do you envisage the Indonesian government's response to the problem?

To start with, Myanmar is an ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] country, like Indonesia. If something happens in Myanmar, it will surely affect the rest of the region. So there are only two options here: either help Myanmar resolve the problem or don't help.

Indonesia, for its part, has decided to actively and constructively engage with Myanmar. We understand the problem there, which created a humanitarian crisis and a security concern in Rakhine state. We continue to convey our concerns to the Myanmar government and stress on the need to create an environment that is conducive for peace in Rakhine.   

Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi:

 'Indonesia has decided to actively and

 constructively engage with Myanmar' 

on the Rohingya issue

We have also communicated with Myanmar on the importance of protecting and respecting the human rights of all communities, including the Muslim communities. We also underline the significance of inclusive economic development, particularly in Rakhine state.

This way, we convey our views, concerns and criticisms to our counterparts in the Myanmar government, while offering our assistance at the same time.

Furthermore, I have discussed the issue of Rohingyas with many stakeholders, including Kofi Annan. I have visited Myanmar three times, traveled to Dhaka and paid a visit to the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar.

I want to underscore that we would like to not only help Myanmar in addressing the immediate issues in Rakhine state, but also provide more medium- and long-term assistance for the country's development.

Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi is currently serving as Indonesia's foreign minister.

The interview was conducted by Vidi Legowo-Zipperer during the recent G20 foreign ministers summit in Bonn, Germany.

Myanmar's Suu Kyi reaches out to ethnic minority rebels

Yahoo – AFP, Athens Zaw Zaw, April 18, 2016

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi was blocked from the top job but has vowed to
rule "above" the president (AFP Photo)

Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday vowed to press for greater autonomy for Myanmar's ethnic minorities, in an early move to soothe the rebellions roiling the country after her party's ascent to power.

Myanmar has been swept up in optimism for a more peaceful and prosperous future since the National League for Democracy (NLD) took power on April 1, ending nearly a half century of military domination.

But Suu Kyi warned its prospects hinge on ending ethnic conflicts that have blistered the country since its independence in 1948.

To do so, the NLD government would seek "a real federal democratic union", the democracy figurehead said in a televised address marking Myanmar's New Year.

"Peace and a federal democratic union are closely intertwined and that's why we need to change the constitution. The most important thing is national reconciliation."

They were Suu Kyi's first major comments as "state counsellor" -- a role she took on following the handover to her civilian-led government.

The current charter, penned by the military in 2008, centralises state power.

The former junta in part justified its tight control of the country with fears that ethnic divisions would fracture the nation.

Daughter of a hero

But the concept of federalism has gradually become central to peace discussions steered by the quasi-civilian government that replaced outright military rule in 2011.

Negotiations, which do not include all rebel groups, have yet to agree on exactly how powers such as policing or revenue raising might be shifted to regional authorities under a federal system.

In this image made from video, Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion, left, meets

 with Myanmar President Htin Kyaw and Myanmar Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi,

 right, at the Presidential Palace, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Thursday, April 7, 2016. 

Dion congratulated Myanmar on installing its first civilian government in decades 

and on its transition from military rule to democracy. (APTN via AP)

But by reiterating the federal pledge, Suu Kyi has sought to reassure ethnic leaders that the NLD will not squeeze out minority groups.

Though Suu Kyi belongs to the ethnic Bamar majority, her party picked up seats in many of Myanmar's ethnic minority regions in last year's election.

She has however come under fire from rights groups for not throwing her moral weight behind the plight of the embattled Rohingya, a largely stateless Muslim minority pushed into grim displacement camps by waves of communal violence in 2012.

Nobel laureate Suu Kyi is beloved by many in Myanmar but blocked from becoming president by the constitution as her two sons carry foreign citizenship.

The 70-year-old is the daughter of the country's independence hero, who famously signed an agreement before his assassination that would have granted a level of autonomy to several ethnic minority regions.

A Shan ethnic woman from the Akha hill

 tribe waits for the arrival of Aung San 

Suu Kyi during a 2015 rally in Kyaing

Tong (AFP Photo/Romeo Gacad)

Attempts to amend the army's charter under the former quasi-civilian government were stymied by the military -- which is gifted 25 percent of all parliamentary seats by the constitution it scripted.

Any fresh moves to change the charter are likely to meet stiff resistance from the military, which can veto amendments through its parliamentary bloc.

Suu Kyi has taken a firm grip of the country's first civilian-led government in decades, taking on a string of senior roles in the new administration, including the powerful -- if vaguely defined -- advisory role.

She has vowed to rule "above" the president, picking school friend and close aide Htin Kyaw as her proxy.

Conflicts continue to rage in several areas between ethnic minority armed groups and the army, which operates beyond the reaches of civilian government, after a ceasefire pact signed late last year failed to include all of the country's fighters.

Bagan ban: Myanmar stops tourists scaling prized pagodas

Yahoo – AFP, 23 February 2016

Built between the 10th and 14th centuries as part of a powerful early kingdom, 

Bagan's temples are deeply revered in the Buddhist-majority Myanmar and are also

one of the country's most popular tourist destinations (AFP Photo/Ye Aung Thu)

Yangon (AFP) - Visitors to Myanmar's ancient capital Bagan will no longer be able to climb the venerated pagodas for a view of the country's most famous archaeological site, following a government edict railing against "disgraceful" tourist behaviour.

The ban, which starts March 1, will end the daily ritual that sees hundreds of tourists and local pilgrims scaling the ancient structures to watch the sun set over a vast plain dotted with more than 2,500 Buddhist monuments.

Myanmar's Ministry of Culture said the move would protect the buildings, considered holy sites by many locals, while also averting potential danger for those climbing.

Tourists wait for sunset over the pagodas

in Myanmar's northern ancient town of 

Bagan (AFP Photo)

"Furthermore, despite warnings, people who climb the pagodas often behave badly, in a way that is culturally disgraceful such as wearing inappropriate clothing, dancing and sleeping (on the monuments)," the ministry said in a post on its official Facebook page.

"We would like to announce that no one will be permitted to climb on the pagodas for any reason from March 1 onwards," it concluded in the statement published on Monday.

Built between the 10th and 14th centuries as part of a powerful early kingdom, Bagan's temples are deeply revered in the Buddhist-majority nation and are also one of the country's most popular tourist destinations.

After years in the wilderness under an isolationist junta, Myanmar was quickly embraced as a hot choice for holidays after outright military rule ended in 2011.

The country began appearing on lists of must-visit destinations, often accompanied by bird's eye view images of Bagan's pagodas scattered across a mist-drenched landscape.

Even the Ministry of Tourism has declared that "a panoramic view of this land at sunset will leave you with a lingering sense of awe and wonder".

According to its figures, nearly half a million foreign tourists, including package tourists and independent travellers, arrived through Myanmar's main city gateway Yangon last year, more than double the number in 2011.

Many make a beeline for Bagan, a trend that is expected to continue despite the new rules.

"Bagan can offer other pleasures for tourists," said Naung Naung Han, of the Union of Myanmar Travel Association, which represents private tour operators.

But he said those not able to climb the structures to see a sunset at Bagan would be missing out.

Nearly half a million foreign tourists, including package tourists and independent

 travellers, arrived through Myanmar's main city gateway Yangon in 2015, more 

than double the number in 2011 (AFP Photo/Ye Aung Thu)

"For a foreign tourist, such an experience could be an unforgettable moment in their life," he told AFP.

Tour operator Phyoe Wai Yar Zar, who heads the Myanmar Tourism Marketing industry group, said there was likely to be an impact on business.

"Tourism is a way to display our cultural heritage and this news of a ban in the way heritage is shown will affect the tourism business," he told AFP.

Myanmar is eager to see Bagan designated as a UNESCO world heritage site.

But experts say haphazard renovation work on some of the temples under the junta, including building hundreds of new structures over ancient foundations, has irreversibly damaged the landscape.

Suu Kyi's party strides into Myanmar parliament as new era dawns

Yahoo – AFP, Hla-Hla Htay, 1 February 2016

Aung San Suu Kyi arrives for a parliamentary session in Naypyidaw on February 1,

 2016 (AFP Photo/Ye Aung Thu)

Naypyidaw (Myanmar) (AFP) - Myanmar entered a new political era Monday as Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy MPs took their seats in parliament, bearing the hopes of a nation subjugated for decades by the military.

Wearing pastel orange uniforms, lawmakers from the National League for Democracy (NLD) arrived for their first day of work in the capital Naypyidaw, buoyed by a massive popular mandate from November's election.

Aung San Suu Kyi is barred from the office of 

president in Myanmar by a military-scripted 

constitution because she married and had

 children with a foreigner (AFP Photo/

Ye Aung Thu)

That poll saw the NLD wrest a majority from the army establishment and has spurred hopes of a new political dawn in the long-repressed nation.

Suu Kyi, the centrepiece of Myanmar's struggle for democracy, entered the cavernous parliament building without comment.

She took a seat alone for the short opening session which saw the lawmakers sworn in and the appointment of a close ally, Win Myint, as lower house speaker.

"Today is a day to be proud of in Myanmar's political history and for the democratic transition," Win Myint said in an acceptance speech.

The new government faces a daunting rebuilding task in one of Southeast Asia's poorest countries, whose economy was crushed by almost half a century of junta rule.

Many NLD MPs are also political novices, unskilled in the business of government.

They must swiftly adapt to a difficult decision-making process in a legislature where unelected soldiers occupy 25 percent of all seats.

"It's a historic moment for the country," said Myanmar political analyst Khin Zaw Win.

The country will now choose a new president to succeed President Thein Sein, the former general who in 2011 launched dramatic political and economic reforms which culminated in the election.

Suu Kyi herself is barred from the post by a military-scripted constitution because she married and had children with a foreigner.

The 70-year-old has vowed to sidestep this hurdle by ruling "above" a proxy president, although she has yet to reveal her choice for the role.

While there is no clear schedule for the selection of candidates, it could be within days.

Elected members of both houses and the military will nominate three candidates to replace Thein Sein, who retains his post until the end of March.

Lawmakers from the National League for Democracy arrived for their first day

of work in the capital Naypyidaw on February 1, 2016 (AFP Photo/Ye Aung Thu)

The new president will then be chosen by a vote of the combined houses.

Great expectations

Observers are closely watching Suu Kyi's relationship with the still-powerful military, which holds key ministries as well as the 25 percent parliamentary bloc.

Suu Kyi may try to persuade the army to help her change the charter clause that blocks her path to power, analysts say, although it has so far baulked at any attempt to redraft it.

After decades under the military yoke, Myanmar's people queued in their thousands to cast ballots for Suu Kyi and her party last November, throwing their support behind her simple campaign message of "change".

With a resounding parliamentary majority, her lawmakers are -- at least initially -- expected to act as a rubber-stamp for her government.

While the NLD majority will need to time to find their feet, the military has had plenty of time to prepare for the handover.

A quasi-civilian government has steered reforms since outright army rule ended in 2011.

Military members of parliament attend a lower house session in Naypyidaw

 on February 1, 2016 (AFP Photo/Ye Aung Thu)

The military has appointed "more senior and experienced, and probably better prepared" soldiers to parliament, according to Renaud Egreteau, an analyst who has studied Myanmar's legislature.

Thein Sein has led the opening up of the long-isolated country, spurring international investment with sweeping political reforms.

But Myanmar remains blighted by civil wars and ethnic and religious divisions. Poverty rates are high and the bureaucracy is poorly funded and riven with corruption.

On the streets of Yangon, however, ordinary people were optimistic about what Suu Kyi could achieve.

"We have been hoping for an NLD government for a long time. I feel happy now," said 22-year-old dentist Kyaw Htet.

New era dawns as Suu Kyi's party strides into Myanmar parliament https://t.co/RwRwAA7pjl pic.twitter.com/VDXqBgotIJ

— AFP news agency (@AFP) February 1, 2016

Suu Kyi's party wins historic Myanmar polls

Yaho – AFP, Aidan Jones, Hla-Hla Htay, 13 Nov 2015

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is barred from the presidency 

by a the constitution but has vowed to govern from "above the president" 

(AFP Photo/Ye Aung Thu)

Aung San Suu Kyi's party secured a landslide election victory in Myanmar on Friday, propelling the pro-democracy movement to power after a 25-year struggle against authoritarian rule.

It promises a new dawn for a country asphyxiated by half a century of army rule that battered the economy and repressed its people.

In a reflection of rapid changes that have swept the country, confirmation of the win came five years to the day since Suu Kyi was released from house arrest by the military.

A giant graffiti depiction of Myanmar's 

opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi outside

 the headquarters of the National League

 for Democracy party (NLD) in Yangon

(AFP Photo/Ye Aung Thu)

She has now led her National League for Democracy party to a massive popular mandate with more than 80 percent of seats going to the movement.

The NLD on Friday sailed through the two-thirds majority it needs to rule, claiming 364 parliamentary seats with a number of results yet to be declared.

The election has won praise from observers for its smooth, peaceful passing, in a country where violence and repression has normally met democratic milestones.

"We have been ready to form a new government for many years," party spokesman Nyan Win told AFP, greeting the result.

Suu Kyi, 70, has not spoken to the party faithful since Monday.

In Yangon there were no immediate signs of celebration after the party figurehead urged restraint from supporters, aware of the threat of a backlash in a country where the army's writ remains large.

Under Myanmar's complex political system, the NLD will also have to wait until March next year for the transfer of power.

That gap has left some party loyalists nervous at the potential for political chicanery by an army establishment that wields substantial power, despite its chastening at the polls.

But the comfortable majority gives Suu Kyi's party control of the lower and upper houses, allowing it to elect the president and form the government.

Long wait

Suu Kyi, 70, is barred from the presidency by a junta-scripted constitution, which also guarantees the army a 25-percent bloc of seats.

She has already vowed to govern from "above the president" saying she will circumnavigate the charter ban by backing a proxy to run for the top office.

Myanmar's President Thein Sein (R) leaves after casting his vote in Naypyidaw

on November 8, 2015 (AFP Photo/Str)

The win represents a huge stride in Suu Kyi's decades-long journey from political prisoner, held under house arrest for 15 years by the former junta, to the heart of power.

Many NLD supporters have waited 25 years for their vote to count.

"I'm so happy... Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will do more for us than the current government," said 66-year-old street vendor Moe Thu.

Buoyed by her party's sweep of the polls, Suu Kyi has called for "national reconciliation talks" with President Thein Sein and army chief Min Aung Hlaing.

Both men have congratulated the NLD on its election performance and have vowed to abide by the result as well as help a peaceful transition of power.

The lower house speaker Shwe Mann has also been invited to talks but his political stock appears low after losing his seat and falling out with many senior figures from the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party.

The USDP, which is made up of former military cadres, has been mauled at the election.

Yet the president, a former general who swapped his uniform for civilian clothes to lead the government in 2011, has won praise for steering the reforms that culminated in Sunday's peaceful poll.

Vendors sell t-shirts depicting Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to 

party supporters outside the headquarters of the National League for Democracy

party (NLD) in Yangon on November 13, 2015 (AFP Photo/Ye Aung Thu)

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon congratulated Suu Kyi for her election win, but also hailed the "courage and vision" of Thein Sein for "leadership in the reform process".

Those reforms have seen many political prisoners released, the restoration of basic freedoms and the economy resuscitated after years of madcap junta planning.

The international community has welcomed the election, with US President Barack Obama calling both Suu Kyi and the president to offer his congratulations.

Obama has spent great efforts on helping Myanmar's transition from authoritarian rule to an emergent democracy, visiting the country twice in the last four years.

Yet the country's military is not about to disappear. It retains major influence with its parliamentary bloc, which effectively assures a veto over constitutional change.

It also has key ministerial posts reserved under the charter.

Many NLD supporters remain deeply suspicious of the army and its political allies, who are notorious for dirty tricks and crackdowns that have left hundreds dead and thousands jailed.

Dates in the life of #AungSanSuuKyi pic.twitter.com/IgaMtQfzNw

— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) November 13, 2015

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