Myanmar sets by-polls date

Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi meets victims of a recent explosion in a warehouse at a relief center in Yangon yesterday. A pre-dawn blast at a warehouse in Myanmar's biggest city killed at least 17 people and injured dozens more on December 29 sparking a blaze that took firefighters hours to tame, officials said.Photo: AFP

Myanmar is to hold by-elections on April 1, a government official said yesterday, which could propel democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi into the army-dominated parliament.
"The by-election will be held on April 1," a Myanmar government official told AFP.
Suu Kyi, who officially registered her opposition party a week ago, has already said she intends to stand in the polls.
Her National League for Democracy (NLD) was given the green light by authorities to rejoin mainstream politics earlier this month, but is waiting for official approval of its application.
For Suu Kyi, 66, who has spent much of the past two decades in detention, the by-elections will offer her an opportunity to seek a seat in a parliament.