Aung San Suu Kyi kicks off by-election campaign

Rangoon - Burma's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi on Saturday launched her campaign for a seat in the April 1 by-election, which is seen as a litmus test for the new government's reforms.

Suu Kyi, 66, kicked off her campaign with a rally at the Burma InfoTech centre in Rangoon, where she spoke on youth and technology to about 500 people.

She was scheduled to travel to Kawhmu township, 30 kilometres south of the centre of Yangon, where she is contesting one of 48 seats left vacant when the cabinet took office in March.

This is the first election the Nobel laureate has contested in Burma. During the 1990 polls, which her National League for Democracy (NLD) party won by a landslide, Suu Kyi was under house arrest.//DPA