Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi said she plans to tour rural Burma next month in her first trip into the provinces since a 2003 political tour ended in her lengthy house arrest.

Elections in Burma will not be "credible" without pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, according to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

WORLDWIDE celebrations to mark the 60th birthday of detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi kicked off yesterday, with supporters releasing doves and holding a modest religious ceremony in the Burmese capital, Yangon.