negotiations with parliament aren't going smoothly that leader aung san suu kyi is optimistic. the government and parliament are under pressure to handle the situation carefully. for the international community, the inauguration of lawmakers and aung san suu kyi will be a milestone in democratizing the country. for aung san suu kyi, negotiations are just the opening chapter of her larger goal in bringing democracy from myanm myanmar. jun kobayashi. nhk world. >>> president thein sein didn't comment on making immediate changes to the oath in a press conference in tokyo on monday, but he has not ruled out the possibility of amending the constitution. the myanmar president was eager to show the international community his positive stance on the country's reforms. >> thein sein stressed there will not be in u-turn in me yan par's ongoing reform process toward democracy. he also expressed his intention to improve the economy and standard of living in the country. >>> despite discord between opposition leader aung san suu kyi and the parliament over the oath of office, the eu is offe

is aung san suu kyi being used by the government to gain legitimacy in the outside world. how real is change in burma? burma is definitely losing out. there is a girl band that has recently formed. they expressed the frustrations of the young generation. >> we just heard about that and we have never seen this because we were under military government and we have to do what they want to do and we cannot do what they don't want. >> perhaps because they do not push the barriers and a political way, the censorship board has been lax. they go as far as they can. >> things have not been so easy for others. the government claimed that they will relax controls on the media. every saturday, a messenger arrives. this weekly is published in english and burmese. he comes with instructions on what can and one that cannot seem to be printed in the paper. -- on what can and what cannot seem to be printed in the paper. the pages on corruption in government have to go. what is the matter with that article? >> this is about the labor unions which is really sensitive to them. and sometimes w

if confirmed, it would be a remarkable turn-about for suu kyi.he spent two years under house arrest. not even able to saep the noble peace prize she won. seth dillon reports from burma. >> reporter: celebration broke out on the streets of rangoon, as supporters packed the area outside aung san suu kyi's party headquarters. >> i'm very happy for my country. >> reporter: as opposition tallies started to trickle in, she woman felt she was watching more than just election results. how does democracy feel? >> here? i don't know how it feel because we don't get it much before. i hope we can see democracy. one day i hope i can show you how democracy feels here. >> reporter: election day started early in the rural district suu kyi fought to represent. before dawn, a crowd gathered just to get a glimpse of the noble peace prize winner. it's her first bid for elected office, just the latest in her decade's long battle against the military-backed government here. on the way to the polling station, there was no mistaking suu kyi's car as hundreds of ethnic k

aung san suu kyi just walked into this polling station here.hey're keeping the press away from this school so she can have a few moments to talk to the people she hopes to represent. we found this family of farmers just off the main road in this hamlet. you voted for aung san suu kyi -- they voted for the lady because they see her as courageous. international election monitors only invited at the last minute seemed initially optimistic despite widespread concern and reports of voting irregularities. on friday suu kyi said it's not power we're trying to win but democracy for our people. so the official results are not expected for a couple days, it may be the exercise of voting that really counts. seth doane, cbs news, burma. >>> back to politics in this country. mitt romney's campaign stop must be confident but they pulled a april fool's prank on their boss. >> next president of the united states! >> april fool's! >> he's like, wait a minute, where is everybody. expecting a small crowd, not that small and his staff posted that video online. >>>

aung san suu kyi won her seat in a consistency in southern yangon. in total, the national league for democracy claimed to have won 43 of the 44 seats it contested. but even with the nld's gains, the party will hold less than 10% of the seats in parliament. the governing party retains a commanding position. aung san suu kyi called on this leadership to cooperation with former democratization. >> we would welcome all pears who would wish to join us in the process of bringing peace and prosperity to our country. >> reporter: the government is likely to tout the election result as another step toward democracy. it may also urge western countries to lift economic sanctions. aung san suu kyi campaigned knowing how the the government intends to use the result, but she has bigger goals, aiming to win general elections scheduled in 2015. the latest vote marks only the beginning of expected political maneuvering between aung sauaun san suu kyi and the government. nhk world, yangon. >> the international community has shown strong interest in the by-elections in

and aung san suu kyi took advantage of the victory by elections on april 1st. however the oath wording itself is written in the constitution and it is not easy to amend the sentences. president thein sein pointed out the amendment of the constitution is possible but only according to prescribed procedures, so it may take some time to resolve this problem. >> definitely not an easy task there. now japan decided to resume its aid. oda, eu and other countries are getting ready to ease sanctions against the country as well, but they are sending a clear message to myanmar, unless democracy happens, they are not going to do it. how will myanmar take steps to democracy, do you think? >> yeah, actually japan's resumption of oda is one of the biggest results that the thein sein government achieved. the u.s. and the eu started to relax their sanctions on myanmar step by step, so these are also rewarding the president's effort. i think the reforms will go on for the foreseeable future. however, the landslide victory of the nld in the bielections has made the change of pow

these results are on the basis of what the n.l.d., aung san suu kyi's party itself is saying. they've been getting information from party workers around the country who witnessed the count in individual polling stations. they're collating that information, and that's how they're getting to this figure of what they claim is 43 of the 45 available seats going to the n.l.d. that represents a thumping victory for the opposition party and a vipped indication of aung san suu kyi's decision to re-enter the political fray. remember, her party boycotted the national election in 2010, but she's been sufficiently encouraged by government reforms that you were mentioning to get back into the official political process, albeit with some caveats. she was in fairly conciliatory mood this morning. i was down at n.l.d. headquarters, where she gave that statement to her supporters. her supporters are euphoric. she is pretty exhausted, and i think trying, in a way, to calm people down. she knows that the military-backed party may be pretty shaken by this result, and she doesn't want to be seen t

. >>> in mmyanmar, one critical word is keeping aung san suu kyi from taking her seat in parliament. the impasse over the oath of office remains unsolved. he's looking for a way forward. here's patchari raksawong in bangkok with the details. >> reporter: the speaker of the lower house of parliament has for the first time shown willingness to comprise. he told nhk he'll twork make it easier for aung san suu kyi and here colleagues from the national league for democracy to take their seats. nhk world's tiha tway reports. >> reporter: parliament opened on monday, but aung san suu kyi and the lawmakers from her national league for democracy did not take their seat. the object to the oath of office that makes them promise to safeguard the constitution. they say it forced them to approve of the superior position of the military as granted by the constitution. the powerl speaker of the lower house told nhk on tuesday he's hopeful aung san suu kyi will soon be able to attend. >> we welcome her and her party to participate in our parliament. >> reporter: he understood aung san suu kyi's posit

aung san suu kyi won her seat in a consistency in southern yangon. in total, the national league for democracy claimed to have won 43 of the 44 seats contested. but even with the nld's gains the party will hold less than 10% of the seats in parliament. the governing party retains a commanding position. aung san suu kyi called on its leadership to cooperate for further democratization. >> we would welcome all parties who would wish to join us in the process of bringing peace and prosperity to our country. >> reporter: the government is likely to tout the election result as another step toward democracy. it may also urge western countries to lift economic sanctions. aung san suu kyi knows how the government intends to use the result, but she has bigger goals, aiming to win general elections, scheduled in 2015. the latest vote marks only the beginning of expected political maneuvering between aung san suu kyi and the government. chikashi takaoka, nhk world, yangon. >> the international community has shown strong interest in the bi-elections in myanmar.

aung san suu kyi won her seat in southern yangon. in total, the national league for democracy claimed to have won 43 of the 44 seats it contested. but even with the gains, the party will hold less than 10% of the seats in parliament. the governing party retains a commanding position. aung san suu kyi called on its leader sthop cooperate for furthy democratization. >> we would welcome all parties who would wish to join us in the process of bringing peace and prosperity to our country. >> reporter: the government is likely to tout the election result as another step toward democracy. it may also urge western countries to lift economic sanctions. aung san suu kyi campaigned knowing how the government intends to use the result. but she has bigger goals aiming to win general elections scheduled in 2015. the latest vote marks only the beginning of expected political maneuvering between aung san suu kyi and the government. chikashi takaoka, nhk world, yangon. >>> aung san suu kyi has accused the ruling party of committing acts of obstructio

aung san suu kyi won her seat. in total, the national league for democracy claimed to won 23 of the 43 seats if contested. but, even with the end of these games, the party will hold less than 10% of the seats in parliament. the party retain as commanding position. aung san suu kyi called on them for further democratization. >> the parties that wish to join us in bringing peace and prosperity to the nation. >> the government is likely to tout the election result as a step toward democracy. it may urge countries to lift economic sanctions. aung san suu kyi could knowing how they will pursue it. she has bigger goals aiming to win general elections scheduled in 2015. the latest vote marks only the beginning of expected political maneuvering between aung san suu kyi and the government. >>> myanmar's leaders hope the elections will bring an end to the country's isolation. >>> the international response has been mixed. some countries indicated they would review sanctions. myanmar invited five visitors to monitor the elect

aung san suu kyi will pursue change from within parliament. she says "we decided to compromise in this situation because we do not wanted to become a political problem. some people will think we have given in, but let them think what they want." she says they are simply yielding to the people's aspirations and many supporters are relieved. in parliament, she can do more for the people. she is different from the current government. as different as heaven and earth. it is good because if suu kyi goes to parliament, she can change things for the better. >> recently, ban ki-moon also addressed parliament. he called for the easing of sanctions. >> burma has within it a vast potential to become a 21st century model for peace, democracy, and prosperity. i am here to urge you to stay on that path. >> the sanctions against burma have been suspended, rather than lifted, and the government will have to continue proving it is serious about democratic reform. the german foreign minister, who was also in burma, met with the president on monday. after their

prime minister and aung san suu kyi, we have experienced disappointment before. why do you both think that this time it is different, that this time the regime is indeed prepared to give away power? >> could i say that what we experienced before was never disappointment, but setbacks. we were prepared for all eventualities when we started out on the road to democracy, and we've had setbacks, but i can't say that we were disappointed. those were not what we would have wanted, but we're always prepared to keep going forward. and because we were prepared to keep going forward and prepared to take calculated risks, we are where we are right now. in order to proceed further, we must keep on taking calculated risks where necessary, which is why i agree with prime minister cameron that a suspension of sanctions is the right thing to do. in any case, we're determined to succeed, so please, let's not talk about disappointment. >> thank you. sky news? >> thank you, prime minister. aung san suu kyi, the prime minister has been talking about burma as a bright spot, an exampl

the opposition led by aung san suu kyi. it is here that the nuts and bolts are being pieced together. the opposition being led by aung san suu kyi is refusing to take its seat because they don't want to swear that reserves a quarter of the seats here for men in uniform. at headquarters in rangoon, things were shifting. aung san suu kyi unexpected announcing that she and her elect would after all swear the oath and take their seat. we decided to compromise, she says, because we don't want to become a political problem. she calls the decision a respectful gesture. but it looks like an uncharacteristic retreat. aung san suu kyi will now have to make her voice heard here. so today m.p.'s were in listening mode. ban ki-moon, the first foreigner to address parliament. the road ahead is exciting, he told them, but it will not always be easy. you can count on the united nations he said, and you can count on me. >> the path of change is still fragile and uncertain, but it is indeed too narrow to turn back. >> ban ki-moon has made hi

aung san suu kyi declared her party's victory in by-elections in myanmar. voters chose between candidates on sunday to fill a few dozen vacant seats in parliament. the by-elections followed months of reform by the government. nhk world reports from yangon. >> reporter: the opposition national league for tdemocracy announced its leader aung san suu kyi will become a lower house member and other nld candidates are assured of winning many of the 45 contested seats in parliament in local assemblies. >> this is the headquarters of nld. look at the huge number of people singing, dancing at the report of suu kyi victory. >> translator: this victory brings a change for both older and young people. >> translator: nld candidates grabbed the seats thanks to the support of the people. >> reporter: later in the day, a statement written by aung san suu kyi was read out. she said in the statement that nld candidates owe their victory to the support they received from the people of myanmar. she asked the people not to conduct any action that may inflict harms on other cand

cameron also met opposition leader aung san suu kyi. burmese president had paved the way for her return to politics. with a suu kyi at his side, the british prime minister said the government deserves careful assistance for its policies, including the suspension of sanctions. >> of course we must respond with caution, with care. we must always be skeptical and questioning, because we want to know those changes are irreversible. >> suu kyi also advised caution. >> this suspension would have taken place because of the steps taken by the president and other reformers, and it would also may the criteria against reform that should they try to obstruct the way of the reformers, then sanctions could come back. >> the eu will decide whether to suspend sanctions on burma on april 23. at least some are expected to be lifted. >> andrea is a journalist who just got back from burma. welcome, and thanks for joining us. there has been a positive response from the international community to the recent elections. is that response deserve, do you think?

of compromising with aung san suu kyi and her followers. the power struggle continues. >> we're very happy to be joined in the studio by andrea who has been covering these elections. this was supposed to be a new era in burmese politics. what happened? >> what happened is -- what really is at issue here is a separate story. you will get this at 2015, the next elections. i think this has a lot of positioning. this is because they are insisting on the constitutional change now, rather than go with the constitution. >> the eu has lifted almost all sanctions. germany would like to let them altogether. >> germany is arguing from the development and the. they say you cannot have development unless you have sanctions. the other argument is as a political tool, we have to have something. we just cannot drop them overnight. >> ok. he was calling for the unconditional release of all political -- the eu is calling for the unconditional release of all political prisoners and the end of all ethnic conflict. >> this is the real test of the military's wil

ashton is expected to meet with president thein sein and aung san suu kyi. aung san suu kyi and other recently elected members of her party may not make their parliamentary debut when the lower house session resumes on monday. the nld says the main obstacle is the constitution which allots a quarter of the seats in parliament to the military. each newly elected mp has to take an oath to safeguard the constitution. but amending that constitution was one of the nld's main election pledges. >> translator: i don't think we can resolve this issue in time. it is almost impossible for us to attend parliament on april 23rd. >> the nld says it sent a letter to president thein sein to try to find a way forward. but it says there has been no progress so far. >>> turning now to afghanistan, the latest scandal involving foreign troops has become more than just an embarrassment for the u.s. government. it is already influencing discussions over the long-term role of international forces in the country. photographs of two u.s. soldiers posing with body parts of dead suicid

its leader, aung san suu kyi is set to take a seat in parliament. the interview took place in phnom penh. he leads the new government that was naug inaugurated last year. it took over after the autocratic rule by the country's military leaders. the national league for democracy led by aung san suu kyi won a landslide victory in sunday's bielections. thein sein said it was progress towards democracy. the number of seats won by the nld accounts for less than 10% of all the seats in parliament. after the elections, aung san suu kyi called on the ruling party to cooperate for more democratization. in the interview, president thein sein responded positively to the call for the first time ever. the toughest challenge for myanmar is to boost its economy, one of the worst in southeast asia, and to do that, it has to get economic sanctions lifted by western countries. the president expressed hope that the recent bielections will help achieve that. known for its rich natural resources and abundant labor, myanmar is often called the last frontier in southeast

aung san suu kyi one a land slide victory in sunday's by-elections. the vote was closely watched by the international community, as myanmar's progress towards democracy. however, the number of seats won by the nld accounts for less than 10% of all the seats in parliament. after the elections, aung san suu kyi called on the ruling party to cooperate for more democraticization. the president responded to the call for the first time ever. >> the toughest challenge for myanmar is to boost its economy, one of the worst in southeast asia. and to do that it has to get economic sanctions lifted by western countries. the president expressed hope that the recent by-elections will help achieve that. known for its rich natural resources and abundant labor, myanmar is often called the last frontier in southeast asia. many countries are paying attention to its economic potential. thein sein is expected to visit japan later this month. he expressed hope for japan's economic assistance. thein sein's government will likely need to bargain with the nld. the party wants

you went to the polls to vote for aung san suu kyi. how can you think about politics when you have so many other things to worry about here on the farm? "if something changes" he told me, "if politics change then maybe my life can change for the better." in burma, politicians can choose which region they'd like to represent and aung san suu kyi picked this one in part because of the ethnic minority that lives here. it's a symbolic way of trying to unify this diverse country. the man and much of his extended family said they hope the new government would spark development. "we expect improvements in our village like industry," she says. "maybe with other jobs my sons could have a future that's not farming." there are high hopes for democracy here, some that seem more like dreams. "i'm really so happy if democracy comes," he told me. his wife added "our lives will get better." >> pelley: seth doane joins us now in rangoon, burma. seth, i wonder, after listening to co-, you wonder how much people are invested in aung san suu kyi. >> there

sunday's pro-democracy leader saw aung san suu kyi gain a seat in the lower house. her national league for the party won a landslide victory. at a news conference in myanmar secretary clinton praised the elections. >> the result of the elections represent a dramatic demonstration of popular will that brings a new generation of reformers into government. this is an important step. >> clinton said the u.s. will name an ambassador to myanmar. and begin steps to ease a ban on financial services. she added that a longstanding visa ban will also be relaxed for the country's senior government officials and lawmakers. but clinton said organizations and people that block the reforms remain subject to sanctions. myanmar's president thein sein says he's ready to work with the party of aung san suu kyi. thein sein spoke with nhk in his first interview since the elections. nhk world has this report. >> reporter: the interview took place in phnom phen where the president thein sein attended a summit. he praised the new government inaugurated last year. it took over after the auto

he'll meet thein sein and spend time with aung san suu kyi. ban says he hopes to work with both of them to explore ways that the u.n. can promote democratic change. >>> japan's leaders are also taking action to encourage change in myanmar. foreign minister koichiro gemba spoke about a plan to forgive nearly $4 billion in loans to the country and room aid. he says the move will support myanmar's democratic and economic reforms and will help japan too. prime minister yoshihiko noda told president thein sein last week his government would forgive about 60% of myanmar's debt, which totals more than $6 billion. japan will also start offering development loans to the country for the first time in 25 years. foreign minister gemba spoke about the importance of the agreement. >> translator: the write-off will help japanese companies that want to invest in this geopolitically important country. and building a win/win business relationship between myanmar and japan will be profitable for japan. >> gemba says these measures are a way for japan to support

ashton is expected to meet with president thein sein and aung san suu kyi. aung san suu kyi and other recently elected members may not make their parliamentary debut when the lower house session resumes on monday. the nld says the main obstacle is the constitution which a lots a quarter of the seats in parliament to the military. each newly elected mp has to take an oath to safeguard the constitution. but amending that constitution was one of the nld's main election pledges. >> translator: i don't think we can resolve this issue in time. it is almost impossible for us to attend parliament on april 23rd. >> the nld says it sent a letter to thein sein to try to find a way forward. but it says there has been no progress so far. >>> to afghanistan, the latest scandal involving foreign troops has become more than just an embarrassment for the u.s. government. it is already influencing discussions over the long-term role of international forces in the country. photographs of two u.s. soldiers posing with body parts of dead suicide bombers were published in wednesd

suu kyi has spoken of a new era in her nation. >> suu kyi's election is being celebrated as a milestoneburma's long road to the mark was a bit of thousands were eager to congratulate her on winning her first public office. after decades of struggle against the military regime, the opposition leader held the ball as a triumph of people power. -- hailed the poll as a triumph of people power. >> we hope there will be more emphasis on the rule of the people i never did politics. we also hope that we will be able to go further along the route of reconciliation. we will welcome all parties who wish to join us in the process of bringing ease and prosperity to our country. >> the european union is due to consider easing sanctions on burma at the meeting later this month. germany is open to the idea. >> i am satisfy the things are moving in the right direction. i am hopeful that the democratization process will receive the necessary support from abroad, and that includes letting eu sanctions expired. >> in rangoon, many burmese are cautiously optimistic. they hope it will bring improvement to th

david cameron believes that the change is so deep-seated that he is inviting aung san suu kyi to london this summer. she never felt confident enough to leave the country before but she said that she just might. >> this is "bbc news," still ahead -- british customers start to stockpiles stamps ahead of a price increase by the royal mail. the united trade union has said that that will put a deal to its members which could avert a strike by a fuel tanker drivers. the union has been holding talks at a conciliatory body to resolve a route over issues on pay and safety concerns. -- to resolve a fight over issues on pay and safety concerns. the health secretary has said that the tobacco industry should have no business in the u.k. the industry has dismissed as preposterous a plan to remove branding from cigarette packets. the government will begin consultations on the idea next week. a man has confessed to blinding a woman in an attack lasting 12 hours. tina nash had her eyes gouged out in an attack. her attacker will be sentenced next month. this is "bbc news," of the headlines -- violence ha

burma's parliament opens, but where is aung san suu kyi? her national league for democracy stays away in a row over a single word. it is midday in london, 7:00 a.m. in washington, and 1:00 p.m. in paris, where nicolas sarkozy looks like he will have to fight like he has never fought before after he became the first sitting president to trial in the first round of the election. in the next two weeks, he will go head-to-head with the first place so foolish, francois hollande -- first place socialist, francois hollande. marine le pen is knocked out, but who will her supporters go to now? let's go to paris. >> george, thank you very much. welcome to a stormy paris. in some ways, the results were expected. on another level, it was truly exceptional. the worst showing by a sitting president in over 50 years. the national front getting one in five of the voters of the french public. francois hollande is out on the road already. he is in italy. nicolas sarkozy is traveling. they will be crisscrossing the country in the coming weeks. perhaps the mos

. >>> myanmar's pro democracy leader aung sung suu kyi is planning her first overseas trip in over 40 years. let's get the details from patchari raksawong. >> the last time the nobel peace laureate left myanmar was back in 1988. her national league for democracy party said the newly elected lawmaker will visit norway and the united kingdom. aung san suu kyi was under house arrest for much of the last 40 years under the then military rulers. she won the nobel peace prize in 1991, but her detention meant she was unable to receive the award in person. the nld said aung san suu kyi may visit city hall, the venue of the award ceremony for the nobel prize. >>> the former independence leader elected president on monday has made his victory speech. he called for the people to work together as the country approaches the tenth anniversary of end ens. >> translator: we have to unite all of the people to make a better future. your task is not finished. every minute, every second, you have to utilize the opportunity to make a better life for children and those who have no job. >> he's the national

aung san suu kyi won an historic victory in by-elections in myanmar. attention is now shifting to the possible easing of western sanctions. nhk world june kobayash h more. >> reporter: british prime minister david cameron is expected to arrive in myanmar on april 13th. it will be the first time a western leader has visited myanmar since the -- government took place in 2011. aung san suu kyi and her party, the national league for democracy, won 43 of 45 seats in a parliamentary by-election. the nld's landslide victory prompted western powers to -- the sanctions imposed on the military regime. the nld says cameron will hold talks with aung san suu kyi during his visit. they expect to discredit -- discuss the claim that the elections were free and fair. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton praised the outcome of the election. she said the u.s. will name an ambassador to myanmar and take steps to partially lift sanctis. prime minister cameron is also expected to meet with myanmar's president hang seng. the former general is likely to stress to cameron t

. >>> nobel peace laureate aung san su kyi wins a seat on myanmar's porlment. she spent years under house arrest and her party was banned for struggles of democracy in myanmar, formerly called burma. the country has been under military rule for 50 years. >>> u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton said sanctions against syria are working. clinton is in turkey today, talking to world leaders about increasing pressure on syria to end the conflict. she tells cnn the so-called friends of syria group formed a committee to coordinate sanctions, and cut off their leadership's ability, quote, to wage war on its own people. >> and the united states will be working with the arab countries, the european countries, north african and others to have them understand the most effective way to implement sanctions, because as one of them said to me, the americans have a lot of experience in doing sanctions. we don't. so we're making progress. also, the individual sanctions, you know, the travel bans, the visa bans, the kinds of direct personal sanctions are beginning to really w

. >> voters in myanmar -- unofficial results show aung san suu kyi the winner in the election.er supporters cheered and filled the streets. it was -- she was just released two years ago. she won the nobel peace prize for her work against the military rule. >> i think i saw plenty of respect and goodwill, which is very important, but we need to hear what other people are saying, and say whether this is credible or not. >> suu kyi's party first won a landslide in 1990 but that was declared invalid by the army. >> the 1940 census records will be released after 72 years of confidentiality expire. the record detail the lives of 132 million people who lived through the 30s. family historians, it's the most important disdisclosure in decades. the records are free to anyone on the internet but won't be made immediately searchable. >>> strappedded -- stranded at sea for 24 hours. >> a cell phone helps crews reach a boy trapped four stories underground. we'll show you the dramatic rescue. >>> a rain-free day in the bay area. it was beautiful. leigh glaser says we can expect some warmer t

like so many here today, she was putting her faith in aung san suu kyi, persecuted for her beliefs but out early this morning to inspect the polling stations. she worried about possible cheating and there have been reports of minor irregularities, but here, election observers did seem happy. >> thailand sh singapore, this is as good as it could be. >> reporter: at 4:00 after a call for any final voters, the polling stations closed and the count began. there was little room for manipulation at this polling center since the support for suu kyi was overwhelming among the 1,000 votes cast. just a handful of lonely ballot papers in her opponent's trays. it will be a few days before the results are official, but it's pretty clear she has been elected to parliament by a landslide and the celebrations are already underway. tonight, euphoric crowds packed the streets outside the headquarters of her party, which claims to have won 41 of the 44 seats up for grabs today. that's still only a fraction of the total seats in parliament, but a huge step in the remarkable reform process now gripping thi

but today, thanks to the sweeping victory, aung san suu kyi will feel vindicated. images like these will make burma's rulers nervous. they want something in return for reforming. an end to punitive international sanctions. >> we have so much ability to develop our country. >> in all likelihood, these are the fading days of burma's isolation. remember the majority of people were not voting this time around. families, the next utmost be a general election. -- the next step must be a general election. >> she will be our president. i believe it. >> if she wins, she can help a lot to our people. our people hope for the best. >> when the cheering phase, the hard talking the begin with the government. -- when the cheering fades, at the hard talking will began with the government. >> cac the changes there in burma. -- dramatic changes there in burma. molly is to face wide-ranging ceo -- sanctions -- mali is to face wide-ranging sanctions. it comes as the two leaders struggle to deal with an uprising in the north country. ceremonies have been held and the u.k. and argentina

pro-democracy leader aung san suu kyi is set to take a seat in parliament. asean hopes myanmar's progress will be rewarded. patchari raksawong in our bangkok bureau is covering the story. >> asean leaders called the results of sunday's bi-election in myanmar a big step towards democracy. the possible lifting of economic sanctions was also on the agenda at the summit in cambodia. such a move would help them achieve their goal of better integrating asean economies. nhk world has this report from phnom penh. >> reporter: myanmar is the focus of unwanted attention about its human rights record. but today, the summit in the cambodian capital of phnom penh was different. myanmar's president thein sein received a warm welcome after sunday's historic bi-election. asean leaders praised the vote won by pro-democratic leader aung san suu kyi. the development could boost asean's project to create an economic community by 2015. cambodian prime minister hun sen chaired the summit. he apparently believes removing sanctions from the asean economic area to be an important st

he's to meet with president and with aung san suu kyi.an said he hopes to work with both of them to explore ways in which the u.n. can promote democratic change. >>> the u.s. military is moving ahead with plans to boost its presence in the asia-pacific. the "uss -- has docked out of nagasaki. it will serve as a landing pad for a new and controversial aircraft. here's a close-up look. >> reporter: it's 250 meters long. can carry thousand crew members, plus an additional 1900 -- u.s. navy personnel had a ceremony monday to mark the arrival in japan. >> thank you sasabo city and japanese self-defense force. >> reporter: navy spokespeople say upgrades to this vessel has made it the most capable ship of its class. the ship has been on water since the 1990s. they relied on it during the iraq war. they'll also use it to help ryth relief efforts following the 2004 indian tsunami. but here in japan, it will mainly be used as a carrier for the new helicopter. the deck has been reinforced. but that hasn't put an end to questions. some say it just is

pro-democracy leader aung san suu kyi won a seat in myanmar's parliament. a national league for democracy party says it took most of the seats it contested. >> we are prepared to match positive steps of reform in burma with steps of our own. >> but state department spokesperson victoria nuland did not give further details. the u.s. government has imposed economic and other sanctions on myanmar for years. the measures include a ban on investment and an important ban -- import ban on the country's products. the sanctions can't be lifted until the u.s. congress gives its approval. political analysts suggest the u.s. may lift first ban on issuing visas to myanmar's senior government officials. they also say it could appoint a new ambassador to the country. >>> asean leaders also called the results of sunday's by-election a big step toward democracy. lifting economic sanctions was on their summit agenda in cambodia. the move would help them integrate asean economies more effect ofly. nhk world tashoki terazawa reports from phnom phen. >> reporter: today the summ

pro democracy leader aung san suu kyi won a seat in myanmar's parliament. her national league for democracy party says it won most of the seats it contested. >> we are prepared to match positive steps of reform in burma with steps of our own. >> but she did not give any details. the u.s. government has imposed economic and other sanctions, including a ban on investment in myanmar and an import ban on the country's products. the lifting of economic sanctions won't happen until the u.s. congress gives its approval. some people say the u.s. may first lift a ban on issuing visas to myanmar's senior government officials, and it may also appoint a new ambassador to the country. >>> asean leaders also called the results a big step toward democracy. lifting economic sanctions was on their summit agenda in cambodia. the move would help them integrate asean economies more effectively. nhk world's tarazawa reports from phnom phen. >> reporter: past asean summits have seen myanmar the focus of unwanted attention about its human rights record. but today, the submit in t