Aung San Suu Kyi today reached out to the generals who jailed her, saying she wants direct talks with the military's leaders in the interests of "national reconciliation".
Aung San Suu Kyi has emerged from seven years' house arrest, and incarceration at the junta's hands for 15 of the past 21 years, insisting she bears no grudge against her country's military regime. She has urged reconciliation and unity for Burma.
She has hinted, too, that she may be willing to soften her stance in favour of international sanctions against Burma's military junta, but insisted that true progress could not be made until all of the country's 2,100 political prisoners were freed.
Despite her historic release at the weekend, and the euphoria that has enveloped Burma in its aftermath, concerns remain that this could be a false dawn for the country and not a "Mandela moment" that signals the start of genuine political reform.
Today, speaking publicly for the first time since her release on Saturday, Aung San Suu Kyi told supporters she needed their support to transform the country. "I think we all have to work together. I wish to work in unison with the people of Burma," she said. She stressed she alone could not lead the country to democracy after 50 years of military rule.
"I don't believe in one person's influence and authority to move a country forward," she said. "One person alone cannot do something as important as bringing democracy to a country."
More than 10,000 supporters, many wearing T-shirts bearing Aung San Suu Kyi's image or with photographs of her pinned to their clothes, rallied outside the headquarters of her now banned political party, the National League for Democracy, cramming Shwegondine Road in central Rangoon to listen to her speak.
Many held up signs saying "We love Suu". In response she lifted a handwritten sign saying "I love the public, too".
Aung San Suu Kyi said she had a message for the regime's senior general, Than Shwe: "Let's speak to each other directly." She added: "I am for national reconciliation. I am for dialogue." The pair last met in secret talks in 2002 at the encouragement of the United Nations, just months before the junta arrested her again.
There has been no word from Burma's jungle capital, Nay Pi Daw, on whether the regime's leaders wish to meet her, and there are doubts over the junta's commitment to reform.
Dr Maung Zarni, a Burma research fellow at the London School of Economics, said the junta had released political prisoners before, usually to win favour internationally, but had rearrested them when it felt the need to reassert control. "We should not fool ourselves to think that her release signals the desire on the part of the regime towards democratisation, dialogue and reconciliation," Zarni said.
"Her release is simply a tactical move. The regime is still holding over 2,100 prisoners of conscience … many serving ridiculously lengthy prison sentences. They must all be freed if we are to be convinced of the regime's desire towards reconciliation."
Burma's generals have jailed Aung San Suu Kyi three times in the past two decades, either arbitrarily or on dubious charges, and Zarni said they could be moved to do so again if they felt her near-universal popularity was weakening their grip on power.
But asked if she feared being imprisoned again, Aung San Suu Kyi was deliberately coy. "I do not think I am threatening, do you?" the 65-year-old grandmother said.
"Popularity is something that comes and goes. I don't think anybody should feel threatened by it. But I know that there's always the possibility that I might be rearrested. It's not something that I particularly wish for, because if you're placed under arrest, you can't work as much as you can when you're not under arrest."
Others cautiously believe the junta's move could mark the beginning of genuine reform. The Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean), which counts Burma as a member but which the west has accused of not doing enough to push for change there, welcomed the release. "I'm very, very relieved and hope that this will contribute to true national reconciliation," said the secretary-general, Surin Pitsuwan.
Aung San Suu Kyi also met a corps of diplomats today, including representatives from Britain, the European Union and Asean countries.
Later, during a wide-ranging press conference, Aung San Suu Kyi said that while during her years of imprisonment she "felt free within myself", she would not rest until all of Burma's political prisoners were released unconditionally. "If my people are not free, how can you say I am free?" she said. "We are none of us free."
Aung San Suu Kyi has been a strong supporter of trade sanctions, which have isolated Burma for more than a decade, but appeared to indicate a willingness to reconsider. "This is a time for Burma when we need help," she said. "We need everybody to help in this venture. Western nations, eastern nations, all nations."
Her previous spells of liberty have come with conditions attached by the military, limiting her movements and with whom she could meet, but the military had not imposed any restrictions on her this time, she said.
Her first formal act is likely to be a response to last weekend's elections, which were marred by reports of voter intimidation, bribery and stuffed ballot boxes. The election was won overwhelmingly by the junta's party. Aung San Suu Kyi was banned from participating and her party urged a boycott, resulting in a poor voter turnout. An NLD committee is set to investigate all complaints independently. "From what I have heard there are many, many questions about the fairness of the election and there are many, many allegations of vote rigging and so on," she said.
Aung San Suu Kyi said today she was enjoying her freedom, particularly the chance to meet and talk to people. "I have been listening to the radio for six years," she said. "I think I'd like to listen to some real human voices."
She said she had not had a chance to see very much of the outside world, "but I have noticed that a lot of people have mobile phones".
She used a mobile for the first time on Sunday to call her son Kim, who is in Bangkok, and whom she hasn't seen for nearly a decade. She has never met her grandchildren.
Aung San Suu Kyi spent her first afternoon of freedom at Rangoon's Shwedagon pagoda, then attended the funeral of an NLD colleague.
Voices from the street
"Our future depends on Aung San Suu Kyi. She gives us hope and courage. Only she can free us from this anarchist regime."
National League for Democracy youth leader, Nyi Min
"I think of her as my mother and my sister and grandmother because she's the daughter of our independence leader General Aung San. She has her father's blood."
Naing Naing Win, 45-year-old NLD member
"She is real. She is our democracy. The government is no good. They are not our government, we want Daw Suu."
Rangoon taxi driver U Thein Win
"I have seen her now, I can believe in my country again. She is the leader for Burma."
Aung San Suu Kyi supporter in the crowd at NLD headquarters yesterday as she arrived.
"We stand with Aung San Suu Kyi."
The slogan on T-shirts that have begun appearing in their thousands on Rangoon's streets in recent days.
