Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has said she intends to run in upcoming by-elections from a poor suburb in southern Yangon. The National League for Democracy spokesman Nyan Win said Monday that Suu Kyi wanted to run from a suburban constituency where a majority of people live in poverty. He said the accessibility of Kawhmu constituency influenced her decision to run there. Suu Kyis party boycotted last years general election but has decided to rejoin the electoral process after laws were amended to be more fair. Nyan Win said the party was waiting for the government to set the date for next years election before formalising its participation. Forty-eight parliamentary seats are expected to be at stake. The 66-year-old Nobel Peace Laureate has been blocked from politics and held in detention for long stretches since returning from overseas in 1988. She was freed by Myanmars military leaders last year after it held the first elections in 20 years. The NLD boycotted the elections and was officially disbanded. In March,the junta handed power to a nominally civlian government that has embarked on significant reforms,and the NLD is in the process of re-registering as a political party.
